#I like to think that he can be slightly unhinged when coffee is involved

[nightmun]

I’ve been stuck trying to S+ 2-2 lately and I think of this every time I play it

[writeshite]

Hi!! Could you do Mob Boss/Mafia Steve Rogers x Male Reader fic? Reader works at Steve's favorite cafe and Steve likes what he sees. Steve takes the reader out on a date and spoils him.

Bon Appétit

Summary:

“Do you have a lot of experience with business types?” “Not of the handsome kind.” You looked away sheepishly at your words; Steve ordered the coffee, and he left the cafe feeling like he was floating. Sam stared at him with concern when he returned; Bucky’s head nearly swiveled off his shoulders when Steve non-chilantly dismissed their captive and said to drop him off at the nearest hospital.

Pairings:

Steve Rogers x Male!Reader

Tags:

Mafia Steve Rogers | Barista!Reader | Fluff | Mafia/Mob AU | Cafe AU (sort of I guess) | Minor Descriptions of Organized Crime

Words: 1941

Author's Note:

Technically, Steve is a bit of an unhinged guy, but he's your unhinged guy. There are a few snippets of Steve's work but not too descriptive, just surface-level stuff, as minimum as I could get.

Steve wipes the hammer meticulously as he tutted at the man strapped in the seat in front of him; his captive’s arms are bound tight, some of the fingers slightly broken. His head is wrapped in a burlap sack with splotches of red seeping through the fabric. The man is sobbing hysterically, begging for his life, but Steve is not a morning person and does not appreciate being dragged out of bed cause some moron came strolling into his terf. By the time he’s somewhat done, the man is passed out, and the cleaners have him tied and stuffed away in a van as Steve debates what to do with him. Bucky sends him off on a walk to think on it - and also because he was slowly bending the hammer and Bucky didn’t want to have to go looking for another one - he strolls with his hands in his pocket as he thinks on it. He wanders into some cafe and pulls out his phone as he waits through the line.

“What can I get you today, sir?” Steve looks up to answer but stops; he’s been around the block quite a bit but never really laid eyes on someone as handsome as you. “Sir?”

Steve blinks, pocketing his phone; he apologizes for the delay, genuinely taking a moment to glance at the menu above on display. “Uh, what do you recommend?” he asks.

“Well, for someone as busy looking like you, I’d say an espresso to get the day going,” you replied.

“Busy looking?”

“Yeah, you know, businessy type,” you said. He chuckled; the mood from this morning was replaced by a happier one.

“Do you have a lot of experience with business types?”

“Not of the handsome kind.” You looked away sheepishly at your words; Steve ordered the coffee, and he left the cafe feeling like he was floating. Sam stared at him with concern when he returned; Bucky’s head nearly swiveled off his shoulders when Steve non-chilantly dismissed their captive and said to drop him off at the nearest hospital. He swirled the cup in his hand, thinking back on your voice and the compliment you accidentally paid him, all this as the others stared on in confusion and cleared things away.

Logically, from that day forward, Steve begins his day at your cafe; he hops out of bed an hour before he has to and is down at the cafe for an espresso every day. He enjoys the small talk between the two of you, which involves a few flirts here and there - which has the both of you grinning.

“Good morning, sir,” you greeted.

“Steve, uh, you can call me Steve.”

“Ok, good morning Steve,” you spoke, “bright and early again, I see. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you really like our coffee.” you joked.

“Well, I mostly come here for the company,” he smiled at you. You scratched the back of your neck, bashfully beaming. One of your coworkers passed by, smacking you on the arm to get you out of your headspace; you noted his order and passed it on. Your coworker, Wanda, according to her nametag, eyed him with mild suspicion as you fumbled through the rest of the interaction; she stood behind you the whole time, sneaking glances at Steve as she wrote something down on her notepad.

Steve stared at her with the same conviction back, to which she leveled him with the same look but tenfold. “Wanda! Quit staring daggers at him!” you hissed at her.

Wanda shrugged and then returned to work. Steve left the cafe with your apologies; he reminisced on the brief moment your fingers touched his when passing the coffee cup. He thought about Wanda, hoping she wasn’t your girlfriend because otherwise, that would be very awkward. He returned to Bucky and Sam standing by his office door; the two had spent weeks observing Steve leave in the morning and return practically glowing; not only that, but his glowing expression didn’t waver much throughout the day.

“So, who’s the guy?” Sam asked.

“What guy?” Steve tried to play dumb. Keyword tried.

“The guy in the cafe you’ve been mooning over.”

“Guy? I haven’t–cafe–I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” Sam began, “About yay tall, really good-looking, 100% your type.”

 “I–I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Steve moved past them, ignoring their skeptical looks. The two followed him; they obstructed him from his work, shuffling the paper away from him, snatching pens from his hand until he caved and told them what they wanted. 

“Oh my god, Sam, do you hear that? Stevie’s got a crush,” Bucky fawned.

Steve rolled his eyes, “It’s not a crush; ok, maybe it’s a crush.” Steve groaned, “Whatever it is, it’s none of your business.”

“Actually, I think it is; I mean, look at you, it’s been what, seven weeks, and you don’t even know the guy’s name,” Sam stated.

“Yes, I do!”

Bucky scoffed, “Let me guess, you read his nametag?”

Steve huffed. Bucky and Sam shook their heads, tutting at him; he ignored them in favor of his coffee; when they tried taking that, he left. He made sure to leave an hour later to throw Sam and Bucky off, which also led to seeing the relief on your face when he showed up.

“I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”

“And miss out on this? Never.”

You chuckled, “Charming, aren’t you?”

Steve shuffled on the spot; the two of you made some small talk as he waited for his order. You leaned forward, your gaze fixed on him as he spoke; he moved forward, leaning on the counter, his hand hovered close to yours. “So,” Steve started, “I was thinking–”

“Two lattes and a tiramisu for two, please.” Someone voiced from behind Steve; he tensed as he recognized it; Bucky and Sam’s smug little faces met him as he turned around. The two stood, arms held together; they waved Steve to the side as they butted in. “Oh, you must be the cute little barista.”

“Uh–”

“Steve has told us so much about you,” Sam started, “he thinks you hung the moon and stars.”

You turned away cheerfully, gesturing as subtly as you could to Wanda as she rolled her eyes fondly. Meanwhile, Steve was on the verge of strangling Bucky and Sam; the two would peek glances at him as he clenched his fists and communicated the murderous intents running through his head with slow, meticulous blinks. You inquired about the relationship between Steve, Sam, and Bucky -  thankfully, Sam responded with the tamest of stories, while Bucky butted in, here and there with a few snarky comments. Wanda’s laugh filtered in from the kitchen, the stories no doubt serving as entertainment for her. 

“...I’d love to go on a date.” Your voice cut in, drawing his attention back to reality; he gaped.

“You’re going to date them?” Steve questioned, his face drawn into confusion, slight anger, and despair.

“No, no, no, I’m going on a date with you,” you clarified, hands moving wildly through the air as you moved towards him. You rubbed his arms reassuringly, “At least I hope I am, because otherwise–”

“NO! I mean, yes, you’re going on a date with me, hopefully.”

“How about after my shift?” 

Steve nodded enthusiastically. He practically speed ran the rest of the day, some nobody wants to start something again - fuck that, not today - the governor tries stepping out of line - Natasha snaps his arm and leaves him with a warning - the police try and get a raise for their cooperation - Tony puts them back in their place. Steve mostly avoids the rest of his mob in favor of switching between outfits for his date; rummaging through his closet, he finds himself at odds with the overwhelming abundance of suits. A man of his profession requires them, but now he’s almost irritated at the stark lack of casual clothing; then again, the whole time he’s been at the cafe, he’s never worn anything less than a three-piece suit. In the end, he does a run by the nearest store - with Tony and Natasha’s approval and insight - and manages to piece together somewhat of a coherent fit. 

“I never thought I’d live to see Steve Rogers in civilian clothing,” Natasha muttered.

“It’s so weird; he looks almost normal,” Tony whispered. He and Natasha were sorting through the rest of his last-minute clothes shopping.

When Steve returned to the cafe, he was met with Wanda, “He’s just putting a few things away,” she glanced back, searching for you; when there was no sign of you, she turned back to him. “I know the whole shovel talk isn’t that threatening to someone of your caliber–”

“My caliber–”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” she warned him, “hurt a hair on his head, and I won’t hesitate to disembowel you. Got it?”

Steve nodded. “Good, now, here.” She took something from her pockets and threw it at him; Steve’s face heated up; she’d casually just thrown him a pack of condoms and was giving him an impromptu sex talk.

“I know how this stuff works!” He insinuated, ears turning red.

“Just making sure,” she shrugged. Thank goodness you walked in at that point. You shook your head at Wanda when you spotted Steve’s blushing face; Wanda cackled and walked off, wishing you well on your date. Steve took you to the amusement park by the harbor, Oasis Zone; the theme of it was a mesh between an underwater kingdom and island fantasy - most of the rides were driven to the underwater fantasy while the games were a combination of both. You crowded closer to Steve to avoid bumping into the people running past; Steve slipped an arm around you happily in response. Your first stop was the Trench - a rollercoaster that had Steve bent over a trash can as you rubbed his back - after that, you decided to move on to something calmer. Well, it was supposed to be calmer, but as it turns out, Steve was very adamant about winning you every prize at every stall he could find.

“Steve, you don’t have to win all the prizes,” you expressed. 

“It’s not that I don’t have to; it’s I want to,” he told you, “for you.” He handed over your twentieth prize, a stuffed shark dog, “plus, it makes you happy, and I want to spoil you.” 

You huffed, kissed his cheek, and shook your head fondly; you convinced him to move away from that to getting food. Steve got his hands on some of the whipped cream and cotton candy, smudging it on your cheek to get an excuse to kiss you; the action had you bursting into laughs every few minutes. He laughed with you, placing his hand on your neck; he slightly craned your head and kissed your lips. You smooshed the rest of your whipped cream in his face when he drew back and cackled as he gawked at you. In retaliation, he shoved his head into your neck, rubbing it back and forth; your head fell back as you shrieked, hands on his shoulders, you called uncle, but Steve shifted to place kisses all over your face. You left the amusement park after a hefty amount of time spent wiping the cream away from your neck; hand in hand, Steve accompanied you to your apartment. 

You thanked him for the date, and Steve left with the feeling of your lips lingering on his cheek. It made the smug shit-eating grins mean nothing as he dreamed of your next date.

End Note:

I loved this request, and it was so much fun to write. Hope you enjoyed reading my shite, stay hydrated.

[gojology]

Job Benefits (Part Three)

broken routines - chapter three.

you can find part two here : 

part two : undesirable pairing : ceo! gojo x female reader warnings : cursing wordcount : 1442 a/n : im highly disappointed with this but im very hyped abt writing part 4 and uh i need to change my writing style sooner or later wtf is this mess LOL

     If there’s one thing Gojo knows more then his own body, it’s routines.       It’s what he grew up around, coming from such a bustling family. Since he learned how to walk, he had attended many interviews, gone to parties, all in one day. Of course, it was commonplace in his already hectic life. He saw routine in everything.      Imagine his shock when you came into the office in an outfit that differed so greatly from your regular one that his jaw might unhinge and fall off.      He can’t wrap his head around why, but he’s utterly confused as to why you changed this up. Was it permanent, and why the change? He had many questions going through his head. This is one of the many negative traits Gojo Satoru has; he thinks his input is important, even though the majority of time it is... Maybe it was somewhat justified. But he doesn’t realize how unnecessary it comes out to be when no one asked.      No one had ever told him no, of course they hadn’t, he was ranked nationally as an important kid due to his wit and charismatic personality, essential for entering the business industry.     When he opened his mouth to speak, even at 8 years old at his parent’s conferences, the old professionals would all look at him, keenly waiting for his orders, or perhaps his opinion. This was what he grew up having; so naturally he didn’t know any boundaries, nor did he know when to close his mouth.      But that’s besides the point, he thoroughly enjoyed the look on you.     He takes his normal trip down the hallway into your office, humming a tune, a messy stack of papers in one hand, a custom ceramic mug in the other; made personally just for him. He expects to see you in your regular outfit, a pencil skirt, white t-shirt, the short clicky heels, and the black blazer. It certainly made for an excellent example of casual, formal attire.      Unexpectedly, you’re not. You’re calling someone, phone perched delicately on your shoulder almost as if it’s supposed to slip out, your hair framing your face. Lips parting as you start responding to whatever is on the opposite side, and he notices an evident gloss, your lips are a different color too.      You glance up at him and gesture to your phone, and his hands are shoved deep into his pockets, taking this extra time to examine you up and down. White turtleneck, layered alongside a slightly unbuttoned dress shirt with a crisp warm toned brown trench coat. Not too long, not too short.       Simple gold jewelry adorned your neck, and his eyes caught onto the gold bracelet that jingled on your arm as you swayed it around; he kinda found it cute how even when the person you were talking to wasn’t in front of you, you were still so animated.      Gojo can’t see your pants nor your shoes, but he’s about to enter cardiac arrest because truthfully he didn’t expect that you knew how to dress.     “What?” you say, words dripping with venom and menace, putting the phone back down. He’s taken aback, what’s with the tone?      “What do you mean, what, (Y/N)?” giving you a shit eating grin, he takes a step closer to your table.     “Answer my question, I asked first.” you shot back, now crossing your legs, you hope you look bored just to add more insult to injury. The guy deserved it for thinking the world revolved around him.      He doesn’t answer, instead staring at you, setting his cup of coffee onto the already crowded tabletop, slightly hunched over. You feel your heart drop. Fuck, maybe seeking some sort of symbolic revenge against your boss wasn’t the best of ideas.    Actually, none of your ideas were the best last night. Naturally you’d only think up disasters when you were under distress.     “What’s with the new outfit? Buy a new fashion sense on Amazon?” he finally inquires, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice, brushing your... Rude words aside.      You shrug, pulling out your planner from the drawer and mumbling, biting your pen before writing inside, they’re mindless words. You hope your acting is good, because you want to cry again even at the slight sound of those words. “I don’t know, I felt like I would try something different.” Fuck, were was the sass? Why did you answer nervously? Why did you feel so scared?      There was obviously something that you wanted to do rather then chit chat with him, and Gojo’s now unoccupied hand rubs his neck, this was suddenly so awkward, even for someone as lively as him.     “Hm. Right. Anyways, these were in the printer.” he slaps the freshly printed lukewarm pages onto your desk. “Figured these were yours, still had your name on them.”      “Ah. Thanks.” you say before yawning, covering your mouth before sliding the papers back into the drawer behind you- as if you had no care for them. Actually, you didn’t. This was apart of your master plan that you had crafted at 1 AM last night, too exhilarated to rest. You would print papers out in Gojo’s printer, which you had used once in a while prior so it wouldn’t be too suspicious, and since Gojo never left the dang office he’d hear the sounds and return them to you.       Both of you were silent again, and he’s debating between hitting you up with a topic of conversation, perhaps a joke, but you seem so uninterested he’s not sure if it’s the right moment.      “Just to let you know- your lunch break is in 10 minutes.” he adds, whistling to try to appear careless, but he could feel his heart sinking. You were acting unusually cold, no dramatic tantrums from you that he usually loved. In fact, that was the whole reason why he liked coming to your office. That, and the cute stationary.     “Ah! Really?” you make sure to act like you just got a ticket to heaven, just as a petty way of saying, “Hey. You’re boring. I want to get out.” and Gojo’s pretty sure that all the contents of his heart was shattered now.       Hmph. Whatever, if you continued this behavior he’d swear he’d fire you, but even he knows that’s not true. He had grown fond about you over the small amount of time that you had worked as his secretary, besides, what was a good work life if you didn’t have a good relationship with your very own secretary? He’s sure his banter doesn’t affect you.     “Yeah.” he says, now quiet. He turns his back on you, pausing for a quick moment before walking out, not before he bangs the top of his forehead against the door frame, which earned a slight groan out of him, and just like that he left. You still hear the faint clicking against the tile floor from his shoes.       You exhaled a sigh you didn’t know you were holding, twirling your office chair to look at the large window pane behind your desk. This was something you admired about the architecture of the building you worked out. Every single office had a large window facing Tokyo, so late working hours would always involve beautiful city lights and the bustling of night life.       The sun and sky was bright and cheery, and it comforted your frazzled body. Today wasn’t as bad as yesterday, but it still felt strange from not having your daily ridiculous conversation with Gojo- and strangely you missed it.       Instilled with energy and motivation, you stand up, pulling your bento out of your bag, determined to go through with the rest of your plan. You knew Gojo had a good friend that worked here, Keto Sugareu or something like that. You’d have lunch with him, work your feminine charms, and that was that.       It wasn’t like you wanted to, but a part of you so desperately wanted to prove to Gojo that you could be smart, witty, yet sexy at the same time. You weren’t a prude- just someone not as exposed to these lifestyles.     But you didn’t really eat your lunch in the break room, rather, you were almost always in your very own office. If you weren’t found in there, it’d either be the bathroom or conspiring to steal Gojo’s luxury coffee machine at your house. Infact, you’re not even quite sure if you remember how it looks like.    “Whatever.” you mumble to yourself, before scooping up your utensils and napkins and heading out for the break room.      You shouldn’t have ever stepped foot into that cursed hellish room that day.

nice to see u down here, u want chapt 4? too bad. just kidding! here, have at it.  chapter four : conspiring     

[marvelslut16]

Not-so-secret boyfriend

Prompt number: 9 “Will you look at this?”

Fandom: Marvel

Paring: Peter Parker x Stark!reader

Rating: T

Word count: 1.1k

Warnings: Swearing. Mentions teenagers possibly sleeping together, no smut. Use of penis Parker.

A/N: Who knew I’d make it to day 4 of fictober? I didn’t know I could be this consistent. First time writing for Peter, so yay and yikes. I don’t know why, but I really love this one!

When FRIDAY said that your father requested your presence in the compounds living room immediately, you instantly were confused and a bit nervous. It took quite a bit to piss off the one and only Tony Stark, he’d been relatively understanding with you and your attitude through the years, you were his offspring so you obviously got his sarcasm. 

Your nerves only continued to grow when you came face to face with a nervous looking Peter already waiting in the living room, he should be on patrol and not in his math pun shirt in your home. Your father had enrolled you in Midtown School of Science and Technology two years ago when he was scouting spiderman and had learned it was Peter. Luckily for your dad you're the same age as the spider boy. You quickly realized that he and Ned are pretty funny and really fun to be around and quickly befriended the pair for real and not just for your dad. Because of this you asked him to stay enrolled after Peter was recruited, and your dad agreed claiming it would look great on college applications. As if (Y/N) Stark wasn’t enough to immediately admit you into the college of your choice.  

That was about a year ago now, and you and Peter had finally admitted your feelings for each other four months ago, having been dating in secret since then. Your father didn’t question all the time you spent with Peter since you had already been his friend for so long, he thought the statute of limitations for you two having feelings for each other had come to pass ages ago. He slept a little easier knowing his daughter and his prodigy weren’t sleeping together. 

Before you can ask Peter why he’s here a fuming Tony Stark enters the room, holding what looks to be a magazine. Whatever was wrong had to be serious since your dad had a physical copy of whatever it was instead of just using his technology to pull up the article. 

“Will you look at this?” your dad’s voice is gruff and you know he’s pissed off as he tosses the magazine onto the table- front cover facing up. 

You come face to face with pictures of you and Peter at school; one is the two of you at lunch, your holding each others hands, you’re laughing at something he had just told you, and he’s looking at you with what can only be described as a look of love; there’s another where the photographer caught you giving Peter a quick peck on the cheek before running off to class; the third and final photo is the most damning, Peter had gotten gutsy yesterday and grabbed your cheek pulling you in for a kiss in the middle of gym class, and apparently someone had caught your quick exchange. Ned and MJ were the only two that knew about your relationship, and you suspected that Aunt May’s known for a few months now but hasn’t said anything, but other than that you two thought you were being sneaky. Apparently not. 

“One of you best start fucking explaining this! Now!” his glare shifts back and forth from you to Peter. 

“I-it’s not what it looks like Mr. Stark!” Peter’s voice goes up an octave as he lies. He doesn’t want to ruin his relationship with you or have Mr. Stark, his mentor, hate him. 

“Like Hell it’s not!” your dad takes a step towards the coffee table, pointer finger jabbing the picture of you and Peter with locked lips. “That’s not nothing. Or are you just screwing my daughter Parker?”

“No!” Peter practically yells. “There’s no screwing going on! We aren’t even old enough for that yet. And I don’t know how to buy condoms. Can I even buy condoms at this age-”

“Peter, sweetie,” there’s a warning in your voice. “Just shut up.”

“(Y/N), would you care to explain?” your father’s face softens slightly as he looks into your eyes for the first time, he can see the worry swimming in your (Y/E/C) eyes. 

“We’ve been secretly for a few months now,” you put up your hand when he opens his mouth to cut in. “We didn’t want you to freak, so we put it off. And then we kept putting it off and I was scared you’d be mad that I hadn’t told you right away. And we wanted to avoid this,” you gesture to the magazine, title reading ‘Major PDA alert! (Y/N) Stark seen canoodling with Stark Enterprises youngest intern Peter Parker! Classmates say they can’t keep their hands- or lips- to themselves!’ “We aren’t even public at school! Those are the only three times we’ve ever slipped up and people got photographs of them.”

Your dad nods at you before turning back to Peter, “so what are your intentions with my daughter?”

“I- uh- I,” Peter stammers, he had planned at least a hundred different things he wanted to say to Tony, but this was the only reaction he hadn’t prepared for. 

“If you hurt her,” Tony threatens. “The suit won’t be the only thing you lose this time around.” Peter visibly gulps at your father's words. 

“Dad! Stop it!” you whine. “You’ll scare him away! It’s not like the silly little crush I had on Steve, I mean have you seen his ass? Anyway, please don’t scare him away, I love him.”

“You love him?” your dad’s frowning, but there’s a glimmer of happiness in his eyes. 

“You love me?” Peter’s jaw practically unhinges as it drops open in shock, his eyes practically popping out of his eye sockets. 

“How couldn’t I?” you smile at your boyfriend. “You’re incredibly smart, brave to the point of stupidity, funnier than you’d think, and you’re the most considerate and caring person I’ve ever met. I’d be a total idiot not to love you.”

“(Y/N),” he whispers, hand reaching to caress your cheek. “I love you too. You’ve never looked at me differently when I can’t take you to fancy restaurants and we make a mess of the kitchen trying to make Lasagna. You always defend me when flash calls me penis parker. You take Ned third wheeling in stride- making sure to always involve him in whatever we’re doing. And you’re the most compassionate person I know, always making sure we aren’t hurt when we come back from a mission, homemade chocolate chip cookies waiting to lift our spirits. I’d be crazy not to love you.”

“NO!” Tony practically screams when you lean in to kiss Peter’s soft supple lips. “Not in front of me! I don’t want to see that!”

“Oh please, I’ve seen you do it with countless women,” you roll your eyes, grabbing Peter by the back of the neck and crashing your lips into his. Tony let’s out an overdramatic screech at the sight, slapping a hand over his eyes and struggling to walk out of the room.  

Permanent tags: @crimson-knuckled-queen​ @rexorangecouny​

[nsheetee]

Wifi

Pairing: Renjun x Reader Genre: Roommate AU || Fluff, slightly crack-ish Length: 2k Warning: one mention of an adult theme, implied female reader Summary: You and Renjun have been rooming together for a while, not knowing of your hidden feelings for each other. Surprisingly, it’s the bad wifi connection in your room that brings you together.

〈〈〈━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━〉〉〉

You sigh for what seems like the umpteenth time that evening, your fingers angrily keyboard smashing on your laptop when the wifi bars at the top of the screen show only one small, weak bar barely hanging on.

Ever since you moved in with your new roommate Renjun, you’ve noticed how every once in a while around 11pm, the wifi in your room goes weak. Being a creature of the night that always gets their homework done during this time, it frustrates you that you have to take small breaks every few minutes for your computer to catch up with the internet connection.

Finally fed up with waiting for your computer to load, you pick up your supplies and march over to Renjun’s room, which is the closest room to the apartment’s wifi router. You knock on the door and after hearing an affirmative, you walk into the room. Renjun is buried under a pile of blankets on his bed with his hoodie pulled up to his lips and the hood over his forehead. The only light in the room is coming from his laptop and he hisses when you turn on the room light.

“Good God, turn that off before you blind me. What do you need?” You turn the light back off and instead turn on Renjun’s desk light, setting your stuff down on top of his abandoned homework.

“Can I finish my homework in here?”

“What’s wrong with your room?”

“The internet’s being dodgy again.” You explain and Renjun silently nods, shutting his laptop and putting his airpods into his ears as he looks through his phone. You sit at his “organized mess” of a desk, open your computer, and sigh contently when the wifi works smoothly.

Renjun peers over his phone to look at you. You’re concentrating hard on whatever paper you’re writing; your pajama shirt is so big that it covers your shorts and your hair is only held in it’s messy bun by a couple of pencils. He can’t see your face, but admiration pools in his chest.

He’s been lovesick for you ever since you interviewed to be his roommate. When you introduced yourself and answered all of his questions in your own quirky way, Renjun just about handed over the lease for you to sign then and there and called off all the other interviews he had that day. Since then, his small crush has grown bigger, but seems to be unnoticed by you. Renjun, instead of doing the obvious thing and confessing, decided to help you find out about his feelings “by yourself.”

Renjun found out that he can manually decrease the bandwidth of the apartment’s wifi just by logging into his internet service provider account online. So, he began to weaken the wifi every few nights around 11pm, when he knew you were doing your homework. Like clockwork, he’d hear your groans of frustration for a few moments before your feet pad over to his room and knock on the door, asking to do your homework in his room.

Was Renjun being ridiculous? Maybe… Was he going to stop this game he has you unknowingly playing? Not until you realize he has feelings for you or he gets enough guts to confess. Renjun sighs dejectedly when he thinks about the likeness of either of those events happening anytime soon. He sinks down further into his nest of blankets in an attempt to stop the feelings from taking over his chest, but to no avail.

Renjun has a total, major, embarrassing crush on his roommate.

〈〈〈〉〉〉

You knock on Renjun’s door once again, sighing when he tells you to enter from inside. You walk in with your books and pens in your hands, your computer haphazardly balanced on top of it all.

“What’s wrong?” Renjun asks from his spot on the floor. His project for his biology class is spread out on the floor; some sort of visual presentation that involves a lot of paper cut outs and glue.

“Internet’s bad.” You look over his work, “Are you actually doing your homework? I didn’t know that was possible.” Renjun glaces up from gluing paper to his presentation, a blank stare on his face. He didn’t manually decrease the bandwidth of the wifi tonight. Are the internet gods smiling down on him and bringing you to him through their own will? He hopes so.

“Those are bold words for someone who needs internet and the only place to get it is in my room.” It’s your turn to give Renjun a blank stare as you drop off your supplies on his desk. “Come here.” He commands. You sit down criss-cross applesauce across from him and he hands you a thick permanent marker.

“Write this here.” He points to a small passage in his notebook and a blank space on the presentation board before moving to glue a different piece of paper.

“Why? I’m not going to do your homework for you in return for wifi. I live here, I pay with this wifi.” You point the marker tip at him but he ignores you, too focused on gluing a piece of paper to the cardboard.

“Once again, this is my room.” You sigh at his stubbornness, deciding to help him just this once. You take time to look around; although you’ve been rooming together for a few weeks now, this is the first time you’ve casually been in his room. The wall above his bed particularly catches your eye; his drawings, the quick doodles that he seems to be proud of, are hanging over his bed. Some are of people he’s seen at the coffee shop he usually hangs out in, some are of your house plants that you bought for the window sill in the kitchen.

Your heart softens when you look back at Renjun; he seems to be hyperfixed on gluing a particular piece of paper to the cardboard, his lips open in concentration and his eyebrows slightly furrowed. You feel courage build up in your chest and your gut fill with fearlessness. This is it. You’re going to confess your feelings for your roommate right here and right now.

“Nice drawings.” You mumble out instead, cursing to yourself in your head when the courage fades.

“Really?” Renjun asks, looking over his shoulder to the drawings. “They’re just doodles…” He tries to sound humble, but you can see the tilt of one side of his lips as he tries to hide his smile.

“Yeah, golden hands, they’re good.” You roll your eyes, deciding to feed his ego. It distracts him long enough to allow you to stand up and escape to Renjun’s desk chair. You start your own homework, a yawn leaving your lips. Maybe tonight isn’t the time to confess your crush on your roommate, but you hope he’ll be able to see the little hints you give of your feelings.

Renjun once again can’t help but stare at your back as you work, not minding that you’re not helping him anymore. He hates that your small, seemingly insignificant comment about his artwork makes his heart pound. He wishes the wifi could stop working by itself more often so he could see you naturally, like he did tonight.

〈〈〈〉〉〉

You don’t knock this time as you enter Renjun’s room, throwing up a peace sign as you close the door behind you and walk to his desk.

“Hey,” He raises his voice. “I get you have homework to do and the internet is weird, but at least knock. What if I was… masterbating in here or something.” He mumbles the last part and you snort.

“I still need to use the internet. So if you’re gonna masterbate anytime soon, please go do it somewhere else.”

“This is my room.” Renjun whines, throwing the drawing pad he was using before you barged in next to him and flopping onto his bed.

“Or so you keep saying.” You tease some more, setting down your supplies on his desk.

Renjun hasn’t touched the wifi bandwidth in weeks for fear that his meddling has caused the wifi to actually turn bad in your apartment. His wish came true: the wifi kept breaking and messing up in your room, all by itself. Now, you were constantly in Renjun’s room doing your homework and although Renjun likes you (literally), he doesn’t like how you welcome yourself in.

You surprise him by laying down next to him; you’re both facing the ceiling, hands on your stomachs and sighs escaping your lips every few seconds. Renjun can’t tell what you’re thinking, he’s too afraid to look at your face for the fear of not being able to quit looking. He doesn’t know if you’re as affected as him by your arm meeting his every time you breath, or if you can sense his thoughts racing at 1,000 miles an hour in his head. He tries to breathe evenly when he catches a whiff of your moisturizer, the one he said he liked a few weeks ago and that you’ve been using everyday since.

“Aren’t you here to do your homework? Why are you laying down?”

“No.” You gulp at the words that are about to leave your lips. “I’m here… for you.” You hold your breath after you finish talking.

“What.”

“The wifi has been working fine for weeks. I’ve been coming here to spend time… with you.” You can’t imagine how Renjun was dense enough to believe that the wifi has been poor almost every night for the past 2 months, but you hope it has something to do with him liking spending time with you. You got tired of waiting for Renjun to pick up your hints and stopped waiting for the wifi to cut out in your room to join him in his-- it’s not like he would ever know if the wifi is actually being dodgy on your side of the apartment.

You’re still nervously waiting for Renjun to say something or to tease you and kick you out of his room and tell you to find a different place to stay and then you’re going to be homeless and then you’ll definitely never have good wifi and then…

Renjun sits up and you don’t let your eyes meet, instead pulling your hood over your head and tightening the strings to hide away from your indirect confession. Renjun untightens the strings and pulls the hood off of you; he looks like he’s about to laugh at you and it makes you nervous.

“You’re a fool. I was the one that was cutting out your wifi.” His words make you sit up straight. Your jaw unhinges as embarrassment floods you. You thought you were only going to confess your feelings tonight, not the fact that you’ve been sneakingly lying to Renjun to hang out with him every night.

Renjun starts laughing and in your flustered state, you pick up his forgotten drawing pad and hit him with it. Renjun only laughs harder at your reaction, clutching his shoulder. He’s partially laughing because of the dumb situation you got yourselves in, but also out of joy because you just confessed your feelings to him.

“You! Do you know how angry you made me? I couldn’t get any of my work done for weeks.” You yell. You’re sure the neighbors could probably hear your mixed voices, but you don’t care. “Why did you purposefully cut out the wifi?” You groan.

“Because I knew you would come to my room if I did.” Renjun confesses, leaning back on his bed with his hands. Your heart soars at his words; it’s what you’ve wanted him to say to you for so long. You raise the drawing pad to hit him again but he catches it, fingers covering yours as he stops your second attack. You let him pry the pad out of your hands and he drops it to a different corner of the bed.

“C’mere, dummy.”

“Who are you calling a dummy?”

“You. Now get over here so I can finally kiss you senseless.”

[backtobackbakubabe]

I’m Gonna Make This Place Your Home (Part 6)

Bakugo X Reader 

Words : 3036

Warnings: SMUT! THERE IS SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER (finally) also there’s some violence and mention of abuse. 

Runaway reader finds a home with Bakugo. But will trouble follow?

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You were packed in record time. It helped that you didnt have much to pack.

Bakugo was now pulling you into a car you didnt know he had while yelling at someone on the phone. “No you cant come!”.... “Because we’re trying to hide her and blend in and your hair is literally a bride red fucking target!”... “Yes! I will tell you once we’re settled... Thanks Man..”

He threw his phone out the widow of the moving car and sped up. “Alright so they found you, and they know you’re with me. We just need to get somewhere safe and lay low for a bit. I’ve filled Kirishima in on everything and he’s going to see what he can find out through our hero database.” His grip was tight on the steering wheel and shoulders were stiff as boards. He was stressed out.

You reached over and placed your hand in his lap. You could feel him relax only slightly, but enough for him to release some tension. “Where are we going?”

I’m going to drive us out of town then stop at a random hotel. We’ll check in under a fake name and use cash. I have enough to last us a while.” He took the  hand that you had put in his lap and intertwined your fingers, “They’re not going to lay a finger on you. Not if I can help it.”

Later that night you laid next to him while he clicked away on his laptop. “You threw your phone out the window but kept your laptop? Wouldn't they be able to track that as well?”

He scoffed, “I wish they’d try. This is government issued from work. As soon as they even tried it would alert my agency of their location and who they are.” He continued to click through. He started off by asking who I ordered the pizza from. From there he hacked into the cameras of all the locations near our apartment and was now busy watching through hours of footage trying to find whoever wrote the message on the box. You tried to stay awake to keep him company but your eyes were so heavy. His fingers threaded through your hair, “Go to sleep babe. They’ll be plenty of time to talk tomorrow.”

So you snuggled into him and let sleep take over. You kept waiting for him to join you. In fact every so often you'd reach out to join his dream, but he wasn’t there. You hoped he wasnt driving himself mad with all of this investigative work. Wasn’t that was Kirishima was supposed to be doing?

Hours later you heard a loud “Mother Fucker!”

You shot up strait and grabbed onto Bakugo’s arm. “What is it? What’s going on?”

“That fucking asshole from the coffee shop was the one who rated you out... Your boss.” He turned the laptop towards you and sure enough there was a video of him sneaking into the pizza shop and writing his lovely little note on the pizza box before turning to the camera and flipping it off. “He’s one of eight brothers. All of them bad news. The oldest brother is the head of some secret society that they’re all members of. They call him the puppeteer. Riku’s the youngest and his job is to find girls and trick them into going to a ‘party’ after which they're never seen again. Police have been trying to take them down for years but there’s never been enough evidence. I had Kirishima email me over every file he could find on this secret society.”

He opened up a new tab that was full of pictures, mugshots, and reports. “They call themselves the Pure. They believe in arranged relations and breeding for maximum quirk efficiency. There’s allegedly a lot of really important people involved which is why a case has never been made against them. Drugs, arms dealing, racketeering, kidnapping, slavery... this.... this is crazy. How can they be involved in so much but no one even know about them. I’m a fucking hero and I had never heard about it.” He turned to you, his red eyes burning with intensity. “How do you run from something that doesn't exist?”

You scrolled through the file before your heart stopped. “Bakugo.. I recognize that man...”

He looked over your shoulder and you could hear him gasp. He recognized him as well. He had seen him in your dreams. This man had been your prison guard for years. He had hit you, starved you, drugged you, stripped away your clothing and left you to freeze. He was an animal, he was evil, and Bakugo wanted to kill him.

According to the file his name was Bruce. He was from Slovakia, and as far as anyone knew he died in a train accident fifteen years ago. You wish he has though.

“I’m going back to sleep...”

Bakugo held you to him, “You sure? You don’t want to talk about it?”

“I know his name now... I know his face. I think it’s time I pay Bruce a little visit... You coming?”

It clicked with him what you meant. You were about to visit him in a dream. And there was no way he was going to let you do that alone.

He gripped your hand and spooned up behind you. “You sure about this?”

Your only response was, “If it gets to be too much for you , you can leave at any time.”

Then you were falling asleep and taking Bakugo with you. You had done this plenty of times when you were held captive. Taking people with you into dreams was easy enough. They usually couldn’t affect anything the way you could though.

The bright light flashed behind your eyelids signaling that you were connecting with your intended target.

Eh. Even his dreams were gross. You looked around and saw he was dreaming of an orgy. Naked women and drugs everywhere. You strolled right up to him as he sucked at some poor girls neck. You had to touch him to control the dream. That was the rules. And usually you waited for them to make that decision. But not Bruce. He didnt get that privilege. You slapped him across the face.

He shoved the girl off of his lap, “What the fuck-” his eyes met yours and his angry scowl turned into a disgusting smirk.

“Hello Bruce..”

“Well if it isnt my little slut? I was wondering when you would show up. I was careful to never tell you my name but I knew it would only be a matter of time.”

“My name is Y/n..”

He chuckled, “Shit I didn’t even know you had a name. Thought you were just another one of the boss man’s pets.”

Your fist shook with rage and all of the girls disappeared and you were back in that cold room that had been your cell.

His eyes shifted back and forth, “What are you doing? This is my dream. You cant...”

“Oh but I can. I am capable of much more than you ever knew.” All of the sudden his face started to sink in as if he was starving. His skin became littered with bruises. His ears and nose began to bleed just like yours would when they made you overuse your quirk.

He started to panic and tried to run away but his foot was shackled to the floor like the animal he was. “Fucking bitch! Stop it!”

But you didn’t. You continued to make him suffer, he deserved it after all. All the sudden a hand came down on your shoulder. You grabbed it and threw the person to the ground. Your eyes glowing purple with rage. But they softened when you realized it was just Bakugo. Looking worried with his hands held up in surrender, “It’s just me. It’s alright. It’s okay. Just breath. Calm down. This isn't you!” 

You ran your fingers through your hair and began to pace. You really wanted to hurt the asshole in front of you but you couldnt allow yourself to stoop that low. You couldn’t break down like this. Especially not in front of Bakugo. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little on edge right now. I hope I didnt hurt you.”

He shook his head as he regained his footing, “I’m fine, you're the one I’m worried about. You sure you can handle this. We’ve been here for only a few minutes and it looks like you're already losing it a little bit. I’ve never seen you so... angry before.” 

Bruce started laughing that sickening laugh that made your stomach turn. “Your little boyfriend thinks so highly of you. I wonder if he would stick around if he knew some of the twisted shit you pulled to get out of here.”  

You walked over and gave him a swift kick to the ribs, “I did what I did to stay alive. I will never apologize for that.” You knelt down to look him in the eyes. “Now tell me where you are.” 

He spit blood onto your feet, “This is just a dream. You can do what you want and it’ll never actually hurt me. I’m not telling you shit!”

You narrowed your eyes at him but a cool smile came over your face, “That’s true... Assuming you ever actually wake up. I can make sure you don’t. Keep you here forever, in a coma. Have you ever wondered what happens when you die in a dream? No one really knows right? Because our brain wakes us up because it wants to avoid the trauma. Well I know what happens... Would you like me to show you?”

Bruce gulped as his eyes shifted from Bakugo to you. He spit one more time before he groaned, “FINE!...We’re in the mountains. We're at the main campus for the Pure. There’s a big meeting coming up and everyones coming.” He went on to ramble in great detail about how to get there. He made it very clear that you wouldn't make it past the front gate. That they had some strong quirks up their sleeve.  

He was still spilling his guts when Bakugo grabbed your hand. “What if he’s lying? What if he’s setting a trap?”

You sighed and rubbed your temples, “I don’t think he’s that smart.” 

You looked over when you no longer heard Bruce’s labored breathing. “Shit... he woke up” You reached for Bakugo’s hand, “Come on we should wake up too.I have a feeling we have a lot to talk about..”

“You’re fucking right we do.”

You woke up and you felt that your face was soaked in tears. You may have put on a brave face in Bruce’s dream but it didnt change the fact that you had been terrified to be face to face with him again. You wiped furiously, trying to dry your cheeks before Bakugo could see. He probably already thinks you’re unhinged. No need to fuel the crazy fire. 

You took a few deep breaths before turning around and facing Bakugo. To your surprise his eyes were wet as well. “I’m sorry. I know you’re the one who just had to confront the monster from your past. But... That shit was hard to watch. What did he mean when he said you did twisted shit to get out? You told me you jumped out of a moving car?”

You bit your lip and played with the hem of your hoodie. You couldn’t look him in the eye when you told him this. “I lied.... I was scared if I told you the truth you would be scared of me.” 

He cupped your damp cheek and kissed your forehead, “You say scary.. I say badass.”

You would have laughed if the moment hadn't been so tense. “I uh.. If I really focus I can make people see things... when they're awake. Like daydreaming.” You leaned into him and he instinctively wrapped his arms around your waist. “I made them see intruders when in reality no one was there. They all ended up shooting each other and when backup came I made them think that I was also dead. They threw me into the back of a van, didn’t even bother tying me up. When we got close to town I made the drivers vision go blank so he would crash and I could get away.” 

Bakugo pushed your hair out of your face, “Why would you be scared to tell me that? Like you said in Bruce’s dream, you did what you had to. After everything they put you through? I know it has to weigh heavy on your conscious, but it shouldn't. Those people were bad people who did bad things. Who knows how many people you saved by taking them out.”

You nodded, “I guess... But heros aren't supposed to kill people.”

Bakugo smiled, “Well not to be a dick but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one here with a hero license. You’re a survivor. There’s a difference.”

You took a deep breath, trying to expel all of your anxiety. “I also didn’t want you to be constantly trying to guess if what you were seeing was real or if I was manipulating you.” 

“Well I guess it’s a good thing I trust you then...” 

You leaned forward and gently pressed your lips to his. 

You should have known better though because there was rarely anything gentle about Bakugo. He returned you kiss with a burning passion that had you dizzy. 

He rolled on top of you and your legs wrapped around him pulling you to you. You wanted him, all of him. You reached down to waistband of his pants and pushed your hand past it to palm him through his underwear. He groaned and bucked his hips towards you before pulling back. “Y/n. I love you. But are you sure you want this?”

You arched your back so you could peel your shirt off. You hadn't worn a bra to bed and naturally you weren't wearing pants so now the only article of clothing you did have on was underwear. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” 

He leaned forward and attached his lips to your shoulder while he rubbed one of your nipples between his fingers. You arched your back to lean into his touch a soft moaning falling from your lips. He smiled as his kissed trailed south over the swell of your breeds before sucking your other nipple into his mouth. Licking it and sucking util it grew hard. “Looks like someone has sensitive nipples...” 

Your eyes blinked open, “What are you doing? Dont stop!”

He chuckled, “Yes ma’am.” He tore off his shirt followed by his pants. Now you were both in your underwear. He grinned into you and its made you throb. You bucked your hips up to meet his, desperately needing friction to ease the desire building inside you. 

His lips returned to your neck as he tapped your hip signaling for you to lift them off the bed. Without any hesitation he ripped them off leaving you bare before him. His fingers teased around the sport you wanted him most. But he was trying to give you time to make sure you hadn't changed your mind. And as sweet as that was... You needed him. “Bakugo... I need you. Please.”

With a feral groan his slipped his middle finger into you and slowly pumped in and out. “God Y/n you’re so tight.” He added a second finger and you had to suck in a breath, shit that felt good. He had you whining beneath him. Squirming around his fingers wanting more. 

He kissed up your neck until he got to you ear, where he stopped with a breathy whisper, “You ready?”

You wrapped your legs around him, “Yes! Please!” 

His slid his underwear off and you heard the sound of him opening a condom then his weight returned to you. His forehead already sweaty pressed against yours. “You let me know if I need to stop. If it hurts, if you change your mind. I dont care just let me know...” 

You nodded and he slowly pushed into you bit by bit. Letting you adjust as he went. It definitely stung but in the sweetest way possible. Your fingers gripped his shoulders as he began to thrust into you. It started out as slightly painful but all the sudden he snapped his hips at a completely different angle and you were seeing stars. You couldn’t help your moan of pleasure, “Oh shit! Right there!”

Bakugo picked up the pace looping his arm around the back of your knee and lifting it up so it sat on his shoulder. Heat began to burn within you as you pleasure climbed. You understood why in books they always called it that climax. Legs shaking, fingers digging into his back, “I’m gonna - I’m gonna-”

Bakugo growled as he thrust at an erratic pace, “Let go. I’m right behind you. COME ON Y/N!”

Just like that you you peaked and clamped around him as he stuttered into his own finish. 

You both laid there breathing heavy as he rolled over and pulled you into his chest. His fingers carding through your hair with occasional kisses to the crown of your head. “Hey not to alarm you or anything but I literally saw fireworks...”

You laughed and gave him a funny look, “Yeah me too. That was amazing!”

He gave you a serious look, “No I totally agree.. best night of my life... but Y/n I dont mean metaphorically.. like I literally saw fireworks at the end there. I think you may have subconsciously used your quirk...”

You blushed, “Oh my god I’m so sorry! I didn’t even realize...” You covered your face with your hands out of embarrassment.

But Bakugo wasn’t having any of that. He took your hands and pulled them from your face, “Are you kidding me? That was hot. That was awesome! It was like you got to show me exactly how you felt.” He snuggled closer to you, “Makes me want to do it again.” 

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Tags: @1000fandoms​ @carolinawindsay​ @targaryens-blog​ @fukyouthink​ @malibusurfer56​ @theoneforallkiddeku​ @emmyljo​ @water-melone98​ @opentheskeletonkey​ @ilikeanimeandbands​ @dexterous-deku @joonishantics​ @-hiddlesdweeb-​ @crimson846​ @emotions-and-potions @tokoyamis-luv​ @itsmetsuki​ @awkwardlife202 @tinymatwrote​ 

Hey guys quick thing about the tags, I really am trying to remember to tag everyone who asked. If you aren't here I apologize I have the memory of a goldfish lol. Just shoot me a message and remind me. Or if you want to be added thats totally cool as well!  Also it looks like some of the tags aren't working as they should. So if looks like you’re there but you didnt get a notification let me know. Maybe I spelled something wrong lol. I tend to do that a lot! Thanks! 

- Molly 

[mininky]

The Water Cooler

Summary: Life works in mysterious ways. Really shitty ways too, might you add. After a series of unexpected incidents you find yourself living with your office enemy.

Pairing: Office Worker!Kihyun x Reader

Genre: Fluff, crack/comedy, romance

Warnings: Cussing, some sexual mentions but no graphic scenes, drunk Minhyuk loves to pole dance, Changkyun hates hikers, cheating

Word Count: 9.9K

     There are a lot of ways that you could describe Yoo Kihyun. Obnoxious. Nagging. Uptight. Know it all. Arrogant. Self-serving. Pretentious. Annoying. Loathsome. Short with an even shorter temper. Smug. Cocky. An insufferable pain in the neck. God how you wanted to just break his fucking neck. You aren’t sure how exactly your disdain for the tiny man started, but you did know that he’s currently testing the one last nerve you have before you snap and murder him and have Minhyuk help you hide the body. Hyungwon would probably help too as long as he didn’t have to expel any energy on that matter, at the very least he would root the two of you on.

 You can feel the vein in your forehead pop and throb as he continues to talk about his oh-so-perfect reports that will probably land him a promotion. You’d bet your measly savings that Yoo Kihyun was also a former teacher’s pet. “You know what Kihyun, I hope you do get a promotion.” Everyone in the breakroom turns to look at you with confusion. Wonho almost chokes on his coffee before shouting about it burning. Hyungwon actually stops chewing his bagel to give a look of pure horror at you.

 “Really, thanks (y/n). You know I always knew-” Kihyun is giving a pompous smile at you as he speaks and you feel that last nerve snap like a twig.

 “And I just really hope that it involves a transfer to the middle of nowhere so I never have to deal with your Napoleon complex ever again.” Minhyuk is giving a high pitched wheezing laugh, he’s doubled over in the back shaking as he tries to squeeze out an unintelligible sentence in reply to you.

 “Na-napoleon complex?! I’m not even that short! I’m average height!” Kihyun is crushing the water bottle in his hands and you feel your headache abate at the rage you’ve inflicted on him. Serves his smug ass right.

 “And so was Napoleon for his time. For someone who deems himself all knowing you would think that you would have already known that. Well anyways, as pleasant as it was listening to you kiss your own ass for thirty minutes I have some papers to work on. Oh and Kihyun, don’t let the door smack you on the way out to that promotion.” You pick up your fresh cup of coffee and blow a kiss at him as you walk back to your cubicle and laugh under your breath as you begin sifting through the spreadsheet from hell you’re currently working on.

 Working in a painfully boring office was not how you imagined your life, it’s certainly not how you intended to use your degree in psychology but considering that you only have a bachelors the best use that you have for it is as an overpriced decoration in your cubicle that collects a copious amount of dust for the sake of making Kihyun shudder each time he sees it. Thank god for that minor in accounting or it really would be completely worthless. Life is just that way, sometimes things just don’t work out as you planned. Still, it could be worse. At the very least you have a decent paying job and for the most part, you enjoy the people you work with (the main exception being Kihyun although when Minhyuk goes full dolphin mode he too is in the doghouse with you) and your boss Shownu was one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met.

 All in all, things weren’t that bad. Boring, monotonous, a bit like groundhogs day sure. But at the same time, you had bills to pay and adult things to do like pay said bills. Oh, how the capitalist system sucks for everyone but the filthy rich. But once again, on days like today when your temper has flown out the window, you can’t help but wonder how you got here. In a long-term relationship with a guy who you live with who still looks at you like a deer in headlights the moment anyone brings up the word marriage, committed to a job where you deal with numbers and papers and other tedious tasks every day. This certainly isn’t the fabulous life of jet-setting and hanging out with hot cabana boys that feed you grapes that you’ve envisioned for your life.

 The rest of the day goes by painfully slow and unfortunately, it’s just as dull as you figured it would be. The most interesting part of the day had been your earlier tussle with Kihyun and watching Hyungwon almost unhinge his jaw as he tried to fit the largest burger you’ve ever seen into his mouth because Jooheon dared him to do it. But it’s Friday, and that means that you can be out of this humdrum hell for two days so when the clock hits five you’re quick to save your work and get the hell out of dodge.

 Changkyun is already standing in the elevator when you fly into it. “'Sup (y/n). Got any plans for the weekend?”

 “Nah, not unless binge-watching Netflix in my underwear counts. You?”

 “Sexy. Eh, I’ve got a date with this chick from tinder but I dunno man. She’s into nature and shit and those hiking people usually give me hives you know. Its like, calm down man you can see all that shit on Instagram why be so active? Plus they get all holy about it, they act like your couch is a den of evil. But she’s pretty hot so I’m willing to risk it.”

 “Well, I hope the risk is rewarding for you. Best of luck kid.” You spring out of the elevator and out of the building with more energy then you’ve displayed all week. It’s true, you don’t really have any plans for this weekend except for meeting up your boyfriend for dinner right now but my god, you get to sleep in and isn’t that all that really matters?

——————————————————

 You’re contemplating picking up the glass of wine you’re clutching to and hurling it into Matt’s face. Or maybe you’ll take the steak knife and drive it through his heart. Or take the candle sitting on the table and light him on a tiny fire before cramming it up his ass. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right. Did you just say you want to break up with me?”

 “Listen (y/n), it’s not me it’s you.”

 “I’m pretty sure that it’s supposed to be the other way around.” You grit out the words with venom. God, what did you ever see in this loser?

 “Oh, yeah right. I always forget how that goes. My bad. Listen, it’s just you know I need something else in my life and well things have just gotten kind of boring. Like, I’m glad you finally let me try anal and all but you know I just think it’s time we go our separate ways. We’ve had a good six years and all, but you know I mean…I think we’ve pretty much done everything now. You’re a great girl, I’m sure you’ll find someone decent. And we’re still young I mean we’re not thirty yet! Anyways, listen I’ve already packed up most of your things for you so-”

 “You’ve packed up my shit? Let me get this right you’re breaking up with me and you want the apartment?” You can feel the entire restaurant turn to watch as you raise your voice but you couldn’t care less. Your life is already crumbling before you so why not give a few spectators a free show to it?

 “Yeah, well you know I mean it’s just so close to my work and it’s really hard to find a place with so much natural lighting for my garden.” Seriously, you slept with this guy for six years? This guy? This was the guy you were actually thinking about settling down with? Good god, you needed to see a shrink because clearly, your measly bachelor’s degree in psychology didn’t cover your own neurosis.

 “You have a succulent garden, they actually don’t do well under direct-no you know what. Fucking fine, I’ll figure something out.”

 “Great, great. Well, now that that’s settled I’m just going to see myself out. You know (y/n) I just want to say-”

 “Save whatever you’re going to say and shove it up your fucking ass Matt.” You glare at him as he gulps uncomfortably, his hand sticking out awkwardly as if to give you a consolation handshake before he finally runs his hand through his hair and walks out of the restaurant. Indignation and bitterness consume your thoughts as you chug down your wine and grab the glass he didn’t even touch before chugging that one down too. The food hasn’t even arrived yet and you know that soon you’ll be feeling the effects of the alcohol but really, right now you need to be a bit drunk to get through all of this.

 An exasperated sigh leaves you as you see someone slide into the seat where Matt just was. You slowly look up to see Yoo fucking Kihyun in all his glory having the audacity to look concerned. “The fuck do you want?”

 “Hey, woah, calm down. I just…well I saw how that whole thing played out and I was wondering if you’re okay.” You take a moment to glare at him. His hair is slightly disheveled after the long day at work, white button-up sleeves rolled up but still buttoned all the way to the top, his eyes scream ‘I pity you, you sad sack of shit.’ Of course one of those people who had to watch everything burn just had to be him. Why not also have Matt come back to tell you that your dog died too? (You didn’t actually have a dog, but somehow it would be fitting.) What more could possibly be added to this? God, when will this day end? “Ouch, listen I mean I get that you don’t want anyone to see that. I know I wouldn’t but I mean, you look like you need someone to talk to and I’m here for you. I mean it, I’m just trying to help.”

 “How much of that did I say out loud?”

 “'Of course one of those people who had to watch everything burn down just had to be me.’ That part. You know, I’m just going to take this, I think you’ve had enough.” Kihyun reaches for your glass but you guzzle back the remnants before giving him a childish smirk. “Or not…” You watch him chew on his bottom lip for a moment before he speaks again slowly as if afraid he’s speaking to a wounded territorial animal. “Do you…do you have anywhere to go? Any friends or family in town?”

 “Nope, I moved here to the city last year for Matt’s transfer.” God seriously, what were you going to do for a place. If you walked back into your apartment you’ll be wearing an orange jumpsuit for the rest of your life and buying protection from a woman named Bertha so clearly that isn’t an option right now.

 “Yeah I don’t know about that Bertha part, but I mean I don’t think murder is the solution.”

 Great you spoke out loud again unless… “Are you a mind reader? Nah…nah if you could read my mind then you would know that Hyungwon and I have entertained the notion of giving you those awful diet aka laxative teas before.”

 “I…I’m never going to drink anything you ever give me. Or Hyungwon for that matter.” You relish in the sheer horror that runs through his face. Yes, you’re petty and yes for whatever reason the office hamster is trying to be kind but really you just want to bludgeon your head on this table in peace and away from prying eyes that might report your mental instability to HR.

 “Wise choice little man. But we still have our ways.”

 “Back onto more pressing matters…so you don’t have anywhere that you can go?”

 “Does sleeping under my desk count?”

 “Of course not!”

 “Then no.”

 Kihyun looks like he’s in physical pain as he wrestles with some internal monologue that he’s unfortunately too sober to say out loud unlike you. With a weary sigh, he looks up at you. “My roommate just moved out yesterday, and I don’t have anyone else lined up. You can stay at my place until you figure something out.”

 “Why on god’s green earth would I do that? Are you trying to get me to kill myself? Is it not bad enough that I was just broken up with publicly but now you want me to live with you?”

 You watch his eye twitch before he gives a deep breath to calm down. “Do you want to be homeless?”

 “Good point. Fine, I’ll do it. Save me Kihyun! Oh, my knight in shining armor! Oh, my tiny tiny savior!”

 “Great-WAITER!”

 “What are you doing?”

 “Getting your food to go and hoping that I don’t regret my life choices more than I already do.” You tamp down on any snarky remarks and just look at him instead, the wine allowing you to do so with no shame. You hate to admit it, but Kihyun is attractive. From the small nose, tiny pout to his lips, flawless skin, meticulously groomed eyebrows. It’s a shame really, that he has to be such a complete and total stickler because otherwise maybe you’d-nope, gross that’s totally never going to happen. Ever. EVER. You watch the waiter scurry over and nod as Kihyun speaks before pulling out a check and handing it over before running back away.

 “Here.” You fish out a handful of cash and wave it when he just gives you a pointed look.

 “Listen, you’ve dealt with enough crap tonight. Just let me get the food. Besides, I’m eating whatever that asshat ordered.” Kihyun pulls out his card and places it back just as the waiter runs back over with a bag of your food. It only takes another two minutes before you’re stumbling out the door with Kihyun gripping at your elbow. Drinking two large glasses of red wine on an empty stomach was clearly not the smartest of decisions, and by the slight acidic churn you’re feeling you’re sure that you’ll regret it more than you already do soon enough. You’re grateful that Kihyun allows you to make the trip back to his apartment in silence, leading you slowly on the short trip with a steady arm. The only thing he says is that he doesn’t live very far and it’s just a short walking distance away.

 By the time you reach his apartment you’re already feeling a wee bit more sober, and now you’re not sure if that’s a good thing because it just makes the weight of everything come crashing down. You feel like a complete and total fool, and you feel like a major bitch for how you treated Kihyun for trying to be decent, but most of all you just feel like a failure. Nothing in life can ever seem to go the way that you planned. Your eyes are glued to Kihyuns feet as he pads through his apartment and starts setting down the food at his coffee table.

 Not surprisingly his apartment is immaculate. Everything seems to have its own place and you’re pretty sure that you could safely eat off the floor. Various photographs, ones that look professional more than personal, line the walls. His furniture is leather and looks lived in but still in great shape. Clearly, he has a knack for decorating by the way everything is perfectly color coordinated in the room. There are pops of navy blue floating around the living room found in pillows, throw blankets, rugs, and candles. HGTV worthy in a way that you could only dream of but never be able to fully recreate. Seem’s like the office maid is also a mini Martha Stewart.

 “Are you gonna come eat or not?” Kihyun is gesturing over to your food before he starts cutting into his steak.

 Slowly and cautiously you make your way through the room and stare down at your fettucini alfredo for a minute before twirling it around your plastic fork. “Thank you…Kihyun…” Your words come out small, wobbly, uneasy before you shove a too large forkful of noddle into your mouth and try to blink away the tears threatening to form.

 Kihyun stops chewing for a moment, and you hate that he gives you a heartwarming smile. Its a smile that says, ‘of course I’ll help you, you big pathetic buffoon, someone has to do it.’ He chews slowly, head tilted slightly as he gazes at you and while normally you would shrink away from someone staring at you so intently and obviously analyzing from you instead you just let him. You’ve been through enough tonight and exhaustion has stripped you of your defenses. “What did you ever see in that guy?”

 “I’d like to know that too. You know, I really thought that maybe he and I would get married someday? We met in college and I knew he wasn’t everything I wanted but I think I just settled anyways. And the older we got the less of a chance to find anything better than each other. It was stupid, we should have broken up a long time ago, but I was too afraid.  I don’t think I’ve been in love with him for a long time if I’m honest.” You don’t even look up at Kihyun as you speak, shoving another pile of pasta into your mouth and chewing quickly before you continue. “I’d like to lie to you and say he wasn’t always this bad, but he pretty much always has been. He never grew out of his douchey frat boy phase like I hoped he would. And then I just started getting scared you know? Who would want me? I didn’t feel good enough for more than him so I figured, fuck it I’ll make it work. But neither of us were really happy. I’m actually not even mad about the breakup, relieved really. I’m just mad about the way how he did everything.”

 “Yeah, telling you he’s taking the apartment is a supreme dick move.” You shoot a smile at Kihyun before breaking into a fit of giggles.

 “You know, you know he seriously thanked me for letting him try anal? Like that was his consolation to me. ‘Sorry I’m breaking up with you but thanks for letting me do your butt but now there’s really nothing else for us.’ Like what even?” Kihyun is roaring with laughter after he chokes down his steak.

 “Oh my god, who the fuck does that? Seriously?? Wow. You know, a woman like you can get a hundred guys better than him! No-don’t give me that look, I’m serious (y/n)! That guy will just be something you laugh at in the future. One of those ‘why did I ever think I needed to settle on that idiot’ moments. You’ll find someone else, someone better. And if you ever try to settle for a dick like him again I’ll tell you that he’s not worth your time. I can go all angry dad mode on him for you and be like ‘excuse me sir but I’m not afraid to go back to prison for my little girl.’” You know he’s trying to make you laugh again, but instead, you feel tears starting to spring to your eyes. Kihyun, the man you torment on a daily basis, is being genuinely kind and is just trying to help you get through this. He’s a better person than you, that’s for sure. Surprisingly Kihyun just lets you cry, he doesn’t try to stop you. He does occasionally pat your head and rub soothing circles on your back, but other than that he makes no mention of your clearly crumbling pride.

 He flicks on his TV and settles on pulling up Friends and after a couple of episodes and consuming nearly your weight in carbs you’re starting to feel a bit better. You’d make sure to pay Kihyun back for all of this. Quietly, of course. In a way that wouldn’t be grandiose or hurt your rapidly shrinking pride. After the third episode, Kihyun is suddenly up on his feet and silently walking around the apartment. You can hear doors opening and shutting, rustling echoing through the otherwise silent apartment before he comes back with a few things in his hand.

 “Here, you’ll need something to sleep in.” He almost looks timid, bashful you might say, as he places the clothing next to you on the couch.

 “Thank you.” The words come out just a whisper as you pick up the t-shirt and sweatpants and hold the soft material in your hands tightly. Where would you be right now had it not been for Kihyun? Some shitty motel with a cheap bottle of wine for your sole company? Maybe crying loudly at the table at the restaurant still? “Thank you.”

 Kihyun just gives a soft smile at you, scratching his head for a moment before nodding his acknowledgment. “No problem. So the bathroom is the first door on the left and your bedroom is right next to it. I’m going to go ahead and get to bed, but if you need anything just let me know. Feel free to watch whatever you want on Netflix.”

 You listen to his footsteps walk away, misty eyes still glued to the white t-shirt your clutching. “Good night Kihyun.” You’re almost certain you spoke too softly to be heard, but you hear Kihyun stop for a moment.

 “Good night (y/n). Get some rest.”

———————————-

 You wake up with the feeling of your skull trying to split itself away from your brain, the headache dulling your senses. You stared up at the white ceiling as the panic sets in until the crashing realization of why you weren’t home settled in. You’d really have to thank Kihyun, especially for the extra toothbrush and toothpaste he’d set out for you along with an entire arsenal of luxury skincare. With a groan, you rolled yourself out of bed and looked over at your phone. At least you always carried a charger in your purse, but you’d have to go back to your apartment today to start picking up everything that the idiot (you refuse to even think of his name) had packed for you. Slowly you made your way through the apartment, following the dulcet noise of what had to be Kihyun singing.

 You found him singing into the spatula like a microphone over the omelets he just placed on two separate plates. Clearly, by the sheer enthusiasm and volume, he hadn’t yet noticed you. His face was scrunched up in concentration, little dimples under his eyes showing as he finished off the song. “You have a great voice.” You watched the spatula fly out of his hand and clatter into the sink as he jumped a few feet in the air.

 “You scared the shit out of me!”

 “Okay, Jooheon.” He glared at you, mumbling something about how he wasn’t ‘that bad’ before opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of Gatorade for you.

 “Drink this, I’m sure you’ll need it.” You stare dubiously at the drink before slowly opening it and taking a swig.

 “Why are you being so nice to me?” You slowly make your way over to the stool at the kitchen bar, hungrily looking at the cheese covered eggs before sinking into it.

 “Because I’m actually a nice person?”

 “Unlikely. Based off of all the calculations I’ve done on you in the last year that doesn’t match up.” Kihyun shoots a pointed look at you as he sits down next to you.

 “Well, your calculations were wrong. Besides, even if you don’t think I’m nice, which I am, by the way, I’m not some heartless monster who would watch a friend…albeit a bitchy one…get her heart stomped on and just leave her there to fend for herself. And don’t even pull that tiny savior shit again, it’s too early for that crap.”

 You snort but hold your tongue for a minute. “Friend huh?”

 “Yeah. I mean, sure we don’t hang out outside of work and we’re usually at each other’s throats but I mean, we’re friends, right? I mean, you never did actually give me that laxative tea so that’s gotta count for something.”

 “I can’t tell if you’re just really sweet or really naive.”

 “Probably both.” There’s a bitter note to the words, and it makes you want to force him to elaborate but you sense that it’s something he’s trying to keep covered up.

 “Yeah, but that’s not so bad. It’s better than being a bitch who was stuck in a shit relationship for six years to a complete moron out of fear. You might be sweet and naive, but I’m just bitter and tired and afraid.”

 “You know if you combine us we might make a decent dark chocolate recipe.” You can’t help but laugh, guzzling down the rest of your food in comfortable silence before picking up your plate and washing it.

 “Well, I suppose I should head out to my apartment in a bit. Do you have a copy of the key by any chance so I can just let myself in?”

 “Oh, yeah.” Kihyun grabs a key off a hook on the wall and tosses is it over to you. Unfortunately, he misses and it falls somewhere in between the fridge and the cabinet. “Fuck, I am so sorry. I need to get better aim.”

 “It’s okay, I suck at catching anyways.” You start rooting around on the floor, blindly searching for the keys before finally fishing them up. God, even the crack in between his fridge was spotless. What does he do, move the fridge to clean it once a week? Probably. Oh lord, how you pray he doesn’t make you clean that much.

 “Hey, if you want I can go with. I have a car anyway, so it’ll help make the move easier.”

 “You have a car?”

 “Yeah?”

 “You live right by the station though! Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just take the subway to work every day?”

 “Probably, but I enjoy having a car. It’s nice to be able to just go when I want to go without relying on some form of public transportation. So, what do you say? Want me to come with?”

 You fiddle with the key in your hand for a moment. “I don’t want to interrupt any plans you have.”

 “Nah, I was just planning on cleaning and shopping today so no worries about that.” You blink up at Kihyun, twirling the key around before finally nodding.

 “'Kay. Well, let me just take a shower first and then we can head out.”

——————-

 The drive to your apartment…former apartment…has your stomach in knots. Anxiety has consumed you and twisted you into a nervous mess. You probably should have texted the idiot but fuck it, who cares if you’re ruining his plans? He can deal with your intrusion and kiss your ass if he doesn’t like it. Oh god, oh god what are you going to do?

 “Hey, calm down. It’s going to be okay.” Kihyun gives a small pat to your head and you fight off tears at the soothing touch. To think Yoo Kihyun would be of comfort to you. The world is a cruel, sad, obscure shit show of a place.

 Your hands tremble for just a second as he pulls into a parking spot in front of your apartment before your willing yourself to move. It’ll be fine, it’ll be totally fine. After all, what more could possibly go wrong? You take a deep breath as you stand in front of the door of the apartment and knock rather timidly before Kihyun just gives one sharp wrap after you. The two of you wait in silence for a minute before Kihyun’s impatience gets the better of him and he tries the door handle. “You brought your keys right?”

 “Yeah, give me a second.” You fish around the bottom of your purse through a sea of papers, loose lipglosses that fell out of your makeup bag ages ago, and a handful of pens you’ve swiped from the office before you finally find your keys. You look up to see Kihyun staring at your purse dubiously before you shrug and open up your apartment. The first thing you notice is the two sets of shoes sitting at the entrance. One of the shoes you recognize as the idiots. The second set is clearly a female’s with ridiculously small feet and a penchant for pain judging by the wafer-thin stilleto. You’re not sure what hits you first whether it’s nausea or rage but it’s clear that animosity takes a hold of you the most once you start moving again.

 You step through the apartment swiftly, the sound of the idiot and the unknown woman are drowned out by the blood rushing through your ears as you kick open the bedroom door. She’s pretty and young and she’s also the intern you’ve met at his company Christmas party last year. “Really? Really? This bitch?” Your voice comes lashing out in thick dark waves growing in decibel.

 “What the fuck? What are you doing here?” The idiot is scrambling under the bed sheets, the girl is staring at you with terrified doe eyes.

 “Picking up my shit you nit-wit!” Kihyun rounds the corner at this exact moment, a low whistle coming out as he takes in the sight.

 “You were fucking someone else?” Matt, no wait the cheating idiot (he no longer deserves a name), has the audacity to bawk at the sight of Kihyun and it’s around that time that you almost black out in rage.

 “You think you have the right to say that to me? I never fucking cheated unlike you, he’s my friend you lying sack of shit!” You throw the painfully expensive flat screen onto the floor before going through his closet and grabbing a fist full of ties that you toss into the toilet. In the midst of all your chaos, everyone is standing (well Kihyun is standing the two idiots are still laying in bed) stock still when you stand back in the center of the room panting. “Fucking help me Kihyun!”

 “Right!” Kihyun looks around the room before dashing out to the living room where you hear multiple loud crashes that sound suspiciously like the breaking of electronics and glass followed by a few manic cackles.

 “Kihyun, I meant grabbing my boxes!”

 “WHAT?” You hear his footsteps before he turns back into the room, she who will not be named and the cheating idiot are still unmoving in a state of shock as you hand Kihyun two of the boxes you found in the closet.

 “What did you do with all of my makeup?” The idiot points to a box sitting by the bathroom door that you swiftly grab before adding that he hasn’t had time to pack up any of your books. He watches nervously as the two of you make trips back and forth to the front door with more boxes until you’ve gathered just about everything. She who will not be named tries to slink into the bathroom as you grab the last box.

 “And you! You can do so much better than this cheating sack of shit! Don’t waste your time on him. And you, you complete fucking moron,” You turn on your heal to see the idiot shrinking under the blankets like a small child trying to hide from the monster in the closet “it’s not fucking normal to cum that fucking fast all the time! That’s right, for six years I fucking lied because I’m a nice fucking person but let me tell you cumming after entering is only normal for fucking virgins!” With that, you stomp out of the apartment with Kihyun chasing after you.

 The two of you organize everything in the trunk before making a drive back that’s nearly silent with the exception being Kihyun humming. Normally his humming at the office makes you want to strangle him, but for once it’s nice. There’s no pressure to discuss any of whatever it was that just transpired back there, and it’s almost soothing to listen to his voice melt with the road noise. It takes a minute to register that you’ve finally parked, both of you still sitting in the car without a word.

 “Um, Kihyun, thanks…you know for helping. Also, good work on destroying the x-box and coffee table.”

 “The coffee table was an accident. I told you, I have bad aim. You don’t think he’s going to call the cops on us, do you?”

 “Nah. He’s a lot of things, but not a narc.”

 “Oh thank god. I got all caught up in the moment, it was just so addictive!”

 “You wanted to clean everything up right after didn’t you?”

 “…yes…”

 “You need help.” You shoot a smile at Kihyun, ruffling his hair before stepping out of the car to grab your boxes. Had you stayed a moment longer you might have seen his lips twitch into a grin as his hands touched his hair.

————-

 The weekend was spent with you unpacking the necessities and watching Netflix with Kihyun. There’s a lot that you’ve learned about him over the two days. For one, he sings constantly. And you wouldn’t complain about it if it weren’t for the fact that it gets stuck in your head every damn time. Another thing that you’ve learned is that he cleans constantly while grumbling the entire time. He’s also a damn good cook. And you’re happy to say that unlike at work, he’s pretty chill at home. He’s not constantly bragging or boasting, and he’s a bit of a couch potato like you. He’s also kind enough to not bring up the breakup for the rest of the weekend, and when you break down randomly he just hands you random sweets and a blanket. You’re pretty sure you’ve wiped out his entire candy stash at this point.

 By the time Monday rolls back around you’re actually excited to get to work, something mundane and normal. As you settle into your cubicle with a fresh cup of coffee Minhyuk is swiftly spinning his chair over to you. “How was your weekend?”

 My entire life is falling apart. The man I thought I was going to marry not only broke up with me but he was also cheating on me. Oh and I now have to live with Yoo fucking Kihyun and I’m actually starting to think he’s not that bad of a roommate. What little bit of sanity I have is being glued together by coffee. “Boring.” There you go, a lie is so much easier to spit out. Also, you won’t be chucked in a looney bin.

“Same. Oh, but man listen to this. So Wonho and I went out to that new gay bar and we scored like 10 free drinks from this totally cool bear because Wonho took off his shirt. You should come with us the next time we go out! Oh and get this-” You glaze over, nodding randomly as Minhyuk continues to speak a million words a minute before Shownu finally comes out of his office to politely remind Minhyuk that he has three different projects he’s behind on.

—————————————-

The rest of the week tends to amble on much the same way as Monday, monotonous and tedious. And you’re starting to itch with each repetitive conversation. You need something different, you need something to change. Granted, you’ve had a lot of change in the last week. But it’s opened up your eyes to something, the realization that you were just living for the sake of living. Wake up, shower, eat, brush your teeth, go to work, commute home, watch TV, go to sleep. Really what was even the point anymore? You’re beyond apathetic. Too old for this emo shit, too cynical to fall for the hippie-dippie idea of just ‘do what you love.’ Now you’re stuck somewhere in between. Rather lost and craving something, anything, to make you feel alive again. As long as that anything won’t be too expensive. Or too dangerous. Or too annoying. Or too physically exhausting. Which is exactly why when the entire team went out for drinks on Friday you decided to join for once.

You should have known that it was a terrible idea from previous horror stories Hyungwon has told you. He comes solely to watch the world burn as his coworkers all turn into drunk mutants. Everything had seemed fine until you reached the second bar of the night. At this point, Jooheon is speaking only in English and is constantly trying to find ways to rhyme orange. Wonho has lost his shirt or tore it on the dance floor, you aren’t really sure what exactly happened. Minhyuk has been dancing on a column as if it’s a pole and Hyungwon has been discretely pocketing the money that keeps being randomly thrown in Minhyuk’s general direction. Shownu has been in various competitions with strangers, all of them varying in degrees of physical difficulty including the longest headstands that promptly got you kicked out and sent to the third bar.

You’ve lost Changkyun somewhere in the madness, and you’ve been screaming for him as if he’s your lost child until you finally find him hitting on a poster (you’d like to add that the poster was of some foreign film with no people in it) with only one shoe on. Wonho is now clinging onto Kihyun as he sobs about ramen with so much strength you’re afraid Kihyun might not be getting any air. Jooheon has been playing Gucci Gang on repeat while Minhyuk has been trying to blast The Internet over it until the noises have morphed together into some unintelligible and painful to listen to concoction. Hyungwon has somehow found his way behind the bar and is now making drinks for people, none of the other bartenders have noticed that he’s infiltrated yet.

You have a raging headache and your feet are in blisters from all the running around you did to find Changkyun. You feel vaguely out of body as you begin to start screaming for everyone to stop at around the time that Minhyuk starts trying to give lap dances. (You have to admit, he was in the wrong career field. Boy could make a killing off of being a stripper.) Unfortunately, all of them are too far gone to pay attention with the exception of the also painfully sober Kihyun who looks like he’s going to stab Wonho if he doesn’t let go of him.

It just takes Kihyun mouthing ‘help me’ for you to finally make your break. “This rounds on me guys!” You slam down a couple of twenties and use the diversion to grab Kihyun and run out of the bar. Sweet, sweet freedom is obtained at last.

“Thank you! Oh my god, I thought that Wonho was going to smother me!”

“You know, a lot of gals and guys would die happily that way. So, where to now? Do you just want to go home?” You start looking around for some cabs as you speak, wandering down the street slowly now that you’re far enough away from the bar to not be caught.

“Eh, I mean, the night is still young. Besides, I was too afraid to join their league of mutiny to even drink. I know this bar right across from my place. We’re just a couple of blocks away from it right now. What do you say?”

The blisters on your feet say no. The thought of possibly convincing Kihyun to do a couple of shots has you saying, “Sure, why not?” Perhaps you could get him drunk enough to give you an arsenal of secrets to use at your disposal. Then again, you’ve both survived war this evening so by the time you’re finally sitting at the bar with a strong cranberry vodka in your hand you decide to give him a break. (You will never, ever tell Minhyuk and Hyungwon know of this momentary lapse of kindness though.)

“I’d like to lie to you and say that the guys aren’t always this way when we all go out, but…honestly, I’ve seen things get even crazier. It was really nice though to not be the only sober-”

“Kihyun?” Both of you switch your attention over to the woman staring at Kihyun. You see a flash of shock morph into a bitter rage as his jaw clenches. You’d bet your measly savings that the girl was an ex. And a bitch. But the last part is personal conjecture. You want to blame the alcohol for what you do next, but you don’t have enough liqueur in you for it to be the real cause.

“Kihyun, baby, who’s this?” You wrap your arm around Kihyun’s shoulder and give a pointed glare at the other woman.

“Baby? You’ve already moved on? It’s only been, like, three fucking weeks.”

“Well, at least I didn’t move on by cheating on you with my roommate.” Kihyun’s words are angry, and suddenly things start falling into place. That’s why he needed a roommate. That’s why he had been so good at comforting you. That’s why a few weeks ago for the first time he had been late. (Not that you pay that close of attention to him. Nope. You just so happened to notice, and you just so happened to remember.)

“Wow. Wow. You’re such a-”

“I’d step off bitch before I break this glass over your head. Come on baby, let’s go home.” You tug on Kihyun’s hand and leave the bar with her still shouting insults at the two of you. You make the trek back to the apartment in silence, and it isn’t until you actually step through the doors that you realize you’re still holding hands. “Um, sorry about that. I know I just kind of inserted myself in there, but I mean…I get how it feels. We’ve…been through basically the same thing at around the same time. And I just-”

“Thank you.” Kihyun ruffles your hair before suddenly stopping and stepping in closer to you. “I…” His words die out, choked up in his throat with emotions you can’t quite pinpoint swirling just beneath the surface.

“No worries, that’s what friends do right?” You’re not sure if you’re saying that to him or more as a reminder to yourself. He’s just a friend. Right? Right?? His face almost seems to fall for a moment, but it must have been your imagination because suddenly he’s smiling and nodding back at you. Awkward silence ensues and you’re not sure why but you feel a need to break the moment by pulling him into a tight hug and then stepping back. “You know, if you ever want to talk to me about anything, I’m here for you.”

Kihyun nods silently again and gives another small pat to the top of your head before he takes off for his room. Well, that was odd. Then again, that was probably the most normal thing you’ve witnessed all night. Note to self, never go out with the guys ever again.

——————————

Months go by and you’ve fallen into a comfortable routine at Kihyun’s. At first, you tried looking for other places, but rent in the city is painfully expensive and well if you’re honest…living with Kihyun isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s wonderful. And much to Minhyuk and Hyungwon’s dissatisfaction, your new friendship with Kihyun has stopped you from pulling as many pranks on the office hamster. It’s not that you don’t still, it’s just that you’re not out for blood anymore.

You’ve learned a lot about Kihyun. About the type of music he listens to. About how he’s a perfectionist even when he plays games. And how his skin care routine is at an almost religious level. And how when he cleans he mutters the entire time to himself until you join in. And how he’s a dog enthusiast who melts any time there’s one nearby. But there’s still one thing you don’t know much about and for some reason, it constantly plays in the back of your head. Why did that girl cheat on him? How could she not see how good of a guy Kihyun is? And why isn’t he trying to get back out there? A catch like him doesn’t come around every dynasty.

You’ve come to understand why your relationship with the idiot failed. You know that he was horribly wrong for cheating and that he should have left and just said he wasn’t happy a long time ago. But you’ve also come to the conclusion that you hadn’t been working on your own happiness in the relationship enough. You had just at some point stopped trying at almost everything. But Kihyun? Well, he’s certainly not that type. Sure he goes between being either really hard on himself or thinking too highly of himself, but he’s got a heart of gold. He knows his worth, and he treats women like queens. (At least if his interactions with his mother over the phone are anything to go by.)

You’re pulled back out of your thoughts by Kihyun walking back into the apartment and the smell of food wafting over. “Ooh, takeout! Did you get me anything?”

“At first I was going to torture you and get something for just myself, but then I realized that my meal would be ruined by you complaining loudly the entire time. I got you some curry.”

“Awesome, thanks babe!” Both you and Kihyun freeze at the nickname. Perhaps you’ve gotten too comfortable once again. Yep, that’s all this is. An innocent mistake caused by being comfortable. Yup. Nothing to see here folks. Nothing at all. “Uhh, I’m not sure why I said that…I’m uh…”

“Nah it’s uh, it’s all good. Babe.” Kihyun cackles loudly before you see him disappear below the kitchen counter. You’ve noticed that when he’s embarrassed he just kind of…runs out of eyesight. It’s endearing, but right now you’re too mortified by your slip of the tongue to even laugh with him. Babe? Really, babe? God, you needed to get out there before you start seeing Kihyun as a possible interest. Nope, never ever going to happen. Absolutely not. It was just a mistake. It meant absolutely nothing.

Dinner goes by quietly after that, the two of you making awkward small talk while pretending to pay attention to some show in the background. By the time dinner is over you’re taking a deep breath and finally setting up a tinder account. Clearly, you need to start moving on, doing something more with your life. You deserve better than that shit show of an ex, and you also deserve some fun. Life has become too routine, and you refuse to turn into a spinster cat lady with a hamster as a roommate.

——————————

A week later and you’re meeting up with a guy you met on tinder, praying you aren’t going to get murdered by some psycho. You’ve never used dating apps, and while you were kind of leery about the situation the conversations you’ve had with him have seemed pretty normal. Albeit boring, but you were never the best at making small talk so you’ll take some of the blame for that. He’s good-looking, you’ll give him that. But as the night wears on it becomes painfully apparent that that’s all he is. He’s good looking and he’s got a stable job, but the best way to describe his personality is monotone.

“Yes, so anyway, enough about the bank. What is it that you do again?” You take a large gulp of your wine before speaking, and you don’t miss the way he cocks his eyebrow as if to say ‘are you really going to drink like that?’

“Oh, nothing special. I’m an accountant for a salon and spa software company.”

“Does that make good money? If you’re an accountant we could actually use someone like you on our team and I’m sure it would be better pay…” Blah blah blah, your eyes glaze over as he keeps talking. What’s this guys name again? God, you can’t even remember. You forgot after six years of being with the same guy how boring dates could be. Well, to call all dates boring isn’t exactly fair. You’re sure that not every guy would be this boring, or hell, turn into some sort of weird job offer. Kihyun would be a lot more interesting. You’d probably be out doing shots and karaoke by now. Or maybe you’d go to a cooking class with him. Or you might be out at that fried chicken place he swears is heavenly. Or maybe he’d be animatedly discussing the best cleaning products with you. Okay, so that would suck, but you’re pretty sure he would never discuss that on a date. Unless it was with a maid or cleaning lady. Wait, why are you thinking about Kihyun right now? Oh…oh fuck. Fuck almighty, you like Kihyun.

You try to pay attention to the one-sided conversation, but really he’s so busy talking about himself he doesn’t even notice you zoning out. How long have you liked Kihyun? Probably longer than you care to admit. Maybe the first time you met him. Maybe that’s why you always found a way to poke fun at him. You always were shit at being honest with yourself. How pathetic though. You keep saying you’ve grown after a terrible six-year relationship, but you’re still just as pathetic at being honest with your own emotions. Blunt sure, but honest? Well…honesty requires vulnerability and courage. A potent mixture that you can barely handle. And that’s why you stayed around some dude you weren’t that interested in. But what about now? Will you be honest? Will you go for it?

You grab your phone as it buzzes, just some app unfortunately and not a getaway ticket. But your date doesn’t know that. “I’m so sorry, but it looks like my cat just went into labor and I think she really needs my support.” You pull out some cash and slap it on the table before he can respond and try your best to run out of there. You’re pretty sure he’s saying something to you as you leave, but you’re moving too quickly to hear him for long. Cat going into labor? And she needs your support? Jesus, you need to get better at lying.

By the time you’ve finally reached your apartment, you’re in near hysterical giggles. Of all the things you could have said to get away from the date, I mean that’ll go down in history as the strangest lie you’ve said. It’s at least entertaining enough to keep the sinking realization that you like Kihyun at bay. Until you finally step foot in the apartment and come face to face with him that is. He’s lounging on the couch, reading a book. His hair is still slightly damp from a shower and the scent of his body wash lingers in the air.

“Oh hey, I was going to…” Kihyun looks up and stops speaking as he analyzes you. His jaw tightens slightly before he gulps and continues speaking, “I was going to ask you to pick up some food but I wasn’t sure what you were doing.”

“Trying to flee a really awful date actually.” You fling yourself onto the chair next to him and kick up your feet on the coffee table, ignoring the look of disdain he gives you at your action.

“That bad?” You don’t miss the way his words sound a little clipped, slightly agitated.

“Bad enough that I told him my cat went into labor and then ran away.” You can’t help but join him as he starts to laugh, his annoyance melting away. It feels so nice to be home with him. It feels so normal and so right. But it kind of hurts, your heartaches and stomach drops as you gaze fondly at him. Kihyun has been such a good guy to you, and you’re pining after him. And you didn’t even notice it until you went out with some schmuck from tinder. How lame could you get?

“How bad could the date possibly have been that you went with that half-baked lie?” He wasn’t you. It’s just that simple, that’s why I gave him that half-baked lie.

“Well, …he was a banker. I think that’s enough said, right? At least he wasn’t a lawyer though. You know the weirdest part about the date though was that all he did was talk about work, and when I explained that I work in accounting he tried to offer me a job. It felt more like I was at an interview than a date. And here I thought tinder was for random flings.” You hate the way your heart flutters at the smile he sends your way as he ruffles your hair in consolation for your bad date. You hate the way that his touch feels so right, so natural. But you mostly hate the way that you can’t stop dwelling on it and how you know that you’re being a coward by not coming clean. But what exactly were you supposed to say? Hey Kihyun, being roommates isn’t enough anymore I’d like to hold your hand and tell you that you’re super cute and maybe screw your brains out? Yeah, probably not going to go down well. Both of you just got out of relationships. You work together. You live together. The last thing you need is to make things awkward.

At the same time though, you know you like him. You’re both grown adults. If things don’t work out then you’ll move on. But if you just allow these feelings to keep festering it’ll become unbearable. So you take in a deep breath and you finally say it before you can chicken out. “You know, Kihyun that isn’t actually the real reason why I left the date though. I mean, I’ve been on worse ones I could’ve stuck it out till the end but I didn’t exactly give him a fair chance. You see, I kind of already like someone.” You can’t make eye contact with him as you speak, but you can hear him shift on the couch presumably to move closer to you. It’s now or never. “Maybe I’m a complete idiot to not realize it sooner, but the entire time I was on that date I kept comparing him to you. And I kept thinking about what we would’ve done on a date, and how you wouldn’t have taken me to some pretentious French place only to talk my ear off about something as lame as work. And how you definitely would’ve called me out for saying some lame excuse. And I…”

“You like me?” You’re staring pointedly at the ground, still too afraid to look up. Your bravery can only go so far, and actually seeing his reaction might just kill what little of your fragile ego you have left in you. “You…like…me?”  There’s a pregnant pause before you suddenly see him in your line of vision, crouched down in front of you and his hands cup your cheeks gently. “You don’t know how happy that makes me. I really really like you (y/n). I mean I think I have from the moment you first sassed off to me. I actually got into a fight with my ex once because when I first started working with you I kept talking about you.”

“What? You didn’t hate me? I was a total bitch to you!” God, what kind of masochistic shit is this? You always knew he had a few screws loose, but I mean, is this his version of some kind of a sick joke? You’re pretty sure it’s not based on his expression. He’s looking at you so fondly, so happily. It’s the same face he makes when he sees dogs, pure joy.

“Well, sure. But it was funny the way how everything I did set you off. And it was awesome how you didn’t back down. I mean you never took my shit, you always threw it back at me. But it was never malicious. It was always very honest. Blunt and to the point. I think the thing I appreciate most about you is that you always say what’s on your mind. I don’t have to guess with you, you just come right out and say it. And it’s refreshing. And then when we moved in and I started to see the softer sides of you I knew I was a goner. I knew you had me wrapped around your little finger. I’ve just been hoping that maybe, somehow, you’d like me as much as I like you.” Silence fills the room, but it’s not uncomfortable. The two of you are just gazing at each other, basking in warm serenity.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Kiss me already you fool.” You love the way he laughs, it sets off butterflies in a frenzy before he finally pulls you into a soft kiss. His beauty routine clearly extends to exfoliating his lips because wow, they’re so soft. So perfect, so warm. At first, it’s feather light, but when your hands cup his face it moves into something deeper. His tongue swipes your lower lip and you taste a hint of peach as they tangle together.  His hands weave into your hair and push the two of you closer until finally, you fall in a pile of tangled limbs on the floor, both of you refuse to break the kiss as hands roam each other in a greedy frenzy before he finally pulls back slightly sheepish.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away there. I guess before I do anything else I should probably officially ask you to be my girlfriend shouldn’t I?”

“God, you’re such a dork. But I guess you’re my dork now aren’t you?” Your breath hitches slightly at the grin he gives you as he moves your hair out of your face gently. He’s so beautiful. His cute little mole, flawless skin, sharp jawline. You trace over his features silently as your brain tries to wrap around everything. He’s yours. You're his. And it just feels right. If a few months ago someone would’ve told you that you’d be hopelessly in love with the office hamster you would’ve laughed in their face. But the world works in mysterious ways, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

There’s a lot of ways that you’d describe Yoo Kihyun. An insufferable nag. Confident. Handsome. Great singer. Pretty good cook. A bit of a Napoleon complex. Ridiculously kind. A total softy. A fantastic kisser. The love of your life. Yeah, that’s Yoo Kihyun for you.

——————

A/N: I know the ending is kind of rushed, sorry about that. I’ve actually had this in my WIPs for a couple of months now and I just really wanted to share it. I hope that you enjoyed it! This was a lot of fun to write.

[aliceslantern]

Beyond this Existence: New Life, short 3--Insomnia

Recovery is a tedious, nonlinear process. Demyx, Ienzo, and the others living in Radiant Garden's castle have to learn to come to terms with their pasts and their memories, learn to grow, and begin to understand what, exactly, it means to be human. While there is unexpected joy in this, there is also unexpected sorrow. A series of oneshots set after Beyond this Existence.

Current short: Insomnia. Ienzo has trouble sleeping.

Read it on FF.net/on AO3

----

Ienzo could not stop his eyes from fluttering shut. Demyx’s cheerful, lively chatter seemed to go in one ear and out the other, leaving him with bits and fragments.

“--you would not believe what the guy had done, somehow got the handle in his eye . We had to sedate him but he was still freaking out--”

“--the thing is after that, he could still see--”

“--And then after that he used the same pan, the same fucking pan, to make noodles for us as a thank you. I mean, of course he washed it, but it’s just wild--”

The chatter faded to a dull hum, and for a second there was no sound, nothing at all. His head snapped up. Demyx had pursed his lips in exasperation. “You know,” he said, “You could have told me to shut up, instead of letting me literally bore you to sleep.”

Ienzo rubbed his eyes. They were hot, and raw. “It’s not that,” he said. “I’m simply very tired.”

“Long day?” he asked.

“Not quite.” A little flutter of anxiety made him shiver. “I think I may be catching cold.”

“Oh, yeah, something’s really going around. I wouldn’t be surprised.” Demyx reached over and touched Ienzo’s forehead. Ienzo, in his exhaustion, realized how stupid it was to lie about sickness when he had a healer sitting right across from him. “That’s weird. I don’t feel anything off. You want me to get you one of the cures anyway?”

Ienzo hesitated. Thinking seemed physically difficult. He could not quite string the right words together. “I likely just need some rest.”

“So go get some sleep, babe. You don’t have anything to do this afternoon, right?”

He almost told Demyx. He should’ve. It was a hard thing to admit. Still harder when his mind felt so foggy. “Well--I told Ansem that I would help him debug that new operating system--”

“He’s a big boy. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” His eyes were so soft, crinkling slightly at the corners, as they always did when he was concerned. “Do you want some tea or something? It might make you feel bet--”

“I am fine.” The words came out sharply.

Demyx frowned. “If you insist,” he muttered.

Ienzo sighed. “I apologize. I suppose I’m a bit grouchy.”

He crossed his arms. “I probably need a nap too. I was using magic all morning.” He tugged at the sleeves of his shirt. “So I guess I’ll catch you later?”

Ienzo nodded, and watched him leave. This was no good. He had to try again. How long had it been exactly since he’d last slept? It was hard to tell. Too long.

He crossed back over to his bedroom. He was starting to detest this space, its claustrophobia, the drafty window. Ienzo settled himself in bed, another shudder of anxiety breaking the ease of stillness. He shut his eyes. Counted to ten, then twenty, then a hundred, trying to soften his muscles. The bed was comfortable. There was nothing wrong with the bed.

The fact that it was the middle of the day made no difference. The same thing happened at night. It seemed as though every night that passed since the coma made sleep a more distant memory. There was also the fact that he’d become accustomed to sharing the space, and being held, and Demyx’s odd training schedule meant he was now often alone at night. He wasn’t used to dependence, and certainly didn’t like how it felt. Ienzo had been so self-sufficient for so long, and this felt like an even bigger setback.

He drew the second pillow into his arms, as though that might calm the achy anxiety brewing in his stomach. Tried to breathe.

Progress was not linear. He’d hoped to be the exception to that rule; after all, he’d slipped through the cracks so many times, what was one more?

He wanted sleep. Needed sleep. His body ached for it. It was entirely psychological, he knew; if he didn’t stress so much about it, likely it would come more easily. But stress was a constant of this life, always pulling him tauter still, even in the rare moments of comfort.

Okay, so, maybe he didn’t need sleep, maybe it was fine enough just resting and breathing, and breathing and resting. It was going to be fine.

He was fine.

----

It had grown dark outside. Ienzo was still, horribly, conscious. Wasn’t there something wrong with him? Why was he allowing himself to get so worked up about this? Why was he wasting so much time? He should be helping Ansem.

He was a touch dizzy when he got up. How he hated having to be corporeal, how finicky and needy the body was, all the time. He went into the bathroom and washed his face, holding the cool cloth over his eyes for a long moment. They ached.

Ansem was, predictably, still hard at work. He was, as far as Ienzo knew, balancing several projects at once, but he was really most invested in anything involving data, especially the fine line between reality and code itself. The new operating system was meant to house code in a more stable manner that was less stressful on their machines. Gummi blocks were always the best replacement parts and lasted far longer than any metal or plastic, but they were hard to come by, so they had to preserve what they had for as long as possible.

“Hello, Ienzo,” Ansem said cheerfully. “Demyx said you were resting. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Of course he’d said something. Ienzo bit his lip. Demyx had become almost uncomfortably protective of his health, but how could Ienzo blame him? How many times had he escaped death now, exactly? (Best not to dwell on that.) “Made any progress?” He flinched at the poor structure of his speech.

“It’s coming along fairly well, all things considered. A couple of minor glitches here and there, but that’s to be anticipated. I believe soon we can start converting over all of our files. Perhaps it might be possible to make it compatible with the gummiphone too, so one can access things on the go. Our hardware isn’t yet necessarily up to par yet but I’m hoping that--”

A finger of pain stabbed him behind the eyes. Ienzo pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Are you alright?” Ansem asked.

“Bit of a headache.” He forced a smile. “Would you mind repeating that?”

Ansem turned slightly in his chair. “If you are unwell, you shouldn’t strain yourself.”

“I am fine,” he reasserted.

“Ienzo, forgive me, but I had raised you to believe in honesty.”

He felt the blood rush to his face, along with a bitterness. “You weren’t around long, though, were you?”

Ansem’s complexion, in the blue light of the screen, was ashen.

Ienzo swallowed and touched his throat. “Master, I--”

“No. You’re correct in that regard.”

The silence had a weight to it.

“Ienzo. You’re allowed to be angry with me.”

“It wasn’t as if you chose to be thrown into the Realm of Darkness.”

“Heavens, no. But you were told something else entirely, something which you then internalized for months on end--years. Lies are much harder to erase than the truth.” Ansem stood and placed his hands on Ienzo’s shoulders. “I was a fool, a coward. Rather than taking responsibility for my actions, I instead became embittered and sought revenge. You paid the price for my poor decisions.” His rust-colored eyes bore into Ienzo’s, unnervingly. “How is it you feel, truly?”

“I feel…” His heart was racing. “I feel so…” Allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of Ansem was a new kind of pain, but in his exhaustion he didn’t have the strength to fight off these thoughts. “I am angry. At you. At myself. At everything. I thought that once I laid it all to rest I would feel at peace but I--”

His gaze was so calm. Ienzo could not bear to look at him.

“I cannot sleep,” he said. He hugged himself tightly. “If not for the nightmares.”

“What is it you dream about?” Ansem asked gently.

“Oh, any number of unpleasant things.” There was something like pressure rising within him, and he wondered if he might be sick. “The day they told me you’d gone mad. When they cut me down. Death, destruction, hellfire… these.” He brushed his hand over his shoulder, and the scars covered by his shirt. Ienzo was aware he was sounding a little unhinged. “I feel like I’m losing my mind. I’m losing my self. ” A razor-sharp pain stuck in his throat. He touched it. The lump forming there seemed to have stopped the torrent of words.

“You are not losing ,” Ansem said. “You are growing, and healing. Processing this trauma is a sign that you’ve stopped protecting yourself from others. Which, believe it or not, is a strength.”

Heat built behind his eyes. “I’ve told Demyx more or less the same,” he mumbled. “Why don’t I believe it?”

“Knowing and feeling are entirely separate.”

Ienzo took a deep breath. His chest spasmed a little with a sob. He was not going to get out of here with his dignity intact.

“You’ve had to rely on yourself for far too long,” Ansem said softly. “I hope that will change.”

He felt the first tears break free. He was simply too tired to fight anymore. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so--”

Ansem drew Ienzo gently into his arms. Ienzo was a trembling mess. It took a concerted effort to allow himself to cry freely and be comforted, though once he did it seemed like he couldn’t stop. This was only worsened by the fact that Ansem smelled exactly like he remembered, like powder and coffee and oranges. Ansem didn’t say anything, and merely rubbed Ienzo’s back in slow circles until the sobs subsided.

The horrible tension of it all had eased, leaving him drained and humiliated. He swiped at his face.

“Come,” Ansem said. “I’ll make you some tea. You’ve had a long day.”

That night, even though he lay in bed alone, he slept deeply, and without dreams.

[winterwitch611]

Wrong Number

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton

Summary: Clint texts Nat his secret desires for a certain super soldier, only he’s off by one digit...

Word Count: 2577

“Hey Steve, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah Buck, what’s up?”Steve replies without looking up from his book.

“Umm, what do you say back when someone texts you ‘I just want to lick him from the bottom up or maybe the top down. IDK I just want to lick him!!’?”

Steve slowly lowers his book. “Excuse me?”he asks. If he raises his eyebrows any higher they’ll disappear into his hairline. “Who the hell is that text from?”

“I have no idea. I don’t recognize the number. It’s obviously a mistake. But…” Bucky gets a mischievous grin on his face. “...what if I have a little fun with whoever it is, can’t hurt right?”  

Steve has been trying to get Bucky to open up more. He’s been so down and depressed lately it seems nothing can make him smile. That little grin he just gave was the first he’s seen in a very long time. Maybe playing along with this wrong number could be a welcome distraction.

“You don’t know them and they don’t know you. Sure, have a little fun. Might do you some good, pal.”

“I don’t know what do say. Got any suggestions? I don’t want to scare them away with one text.”

“You’re asking me?? This sounds more like a job for Tony, or Nat.”

“Oh no! I’m not getting them involved. I’ll think of something.” Bucky heads back up to his floor. Maybe if he has a some privacy he can think of something good to reply. He’s way out of his depth here. He’s not even sure if this is coming from a male or a female. His response needs to be just as vague if he wants to make this into a game and amuse himself for a little while, at least.

He flops down on the bed, makes himself comfortable and unlocks his phone. Okay, here goes nothing, he thinks.  

JBB: You can start from either direction but I’m sure you’ll want to linger when you reach the middle

Now to wait and see if they take the bait. He’s already second guessing himself. What is he going to gain from this except possibly embarrassing a total stranger. Then again, if you’ve never met the person how embarrassed can they possibly get?

He didn’t have to wait long for a response. The notification made him jump slightly. He wasn’t expecting it to come that quickly. He actually felt a little nervous as he swiped the screen.

Wrong Number: OMG you have no idea. What I wouldn’t do to see what he’s packin.

JBB: Thought about that a lot have you?

Well, they obviously still think they contacted a friend. Now to try to figure out if this is a woman, or better yet, a guy. This could be even more fun if it turns out to be a guy. He has to think of some way to get them to reveal, or at least hint at, their gender. Maybe the next response will give him something to work with.

WN: You know damn well I have. Not like it’s a secret how ridiculously hot he is.  

JBB: Why don’t you just tell him how hot you think he is? What could possibly happen?

Maybe the answer to that question will give him some insight. Although, he’s not really sure what he’ll do with the knowledge if he figures out this person’s gender. What’s he gonna do if it’s a guy, ask if he wants to find out what he’s packin’ next? Yeah, that’s not creepy at all. He’s so out of practice with this flirting thing he’ll probably end up embarrassing himself anyway.   

WN: WHAT? Did you really just ask that?? He could beat the living shit outta me. THAT’S what could happen!!!

And there it is! It’s a guy. It better be a guy. If it’s not then the ridiculously hot guy is also a giant piece of shit that potentially beats on women. Getting in the middle of something like that would be unfortunate. Bucky would have to seek out Hot Guy and beat the shit out of him just because.

WN: I mean come on now the guy is a maniac and a little unhinged, but so goddamn sexy. That arm… and those thighs! At least if he tried to crush me to death with those, I could go out happy

Arm? So Hot Guy only has one arm? Or maybe one arm is tattooed and this guy has a tattoo kink. So many questions and really no way to ask them. This is going from fun to frustrating pretty quickly.

JBB: Sounds like a good way to go. But, maybe he thinks the same thing about you. Ever think of that possibility?

WN: Did you hit your head really hard in training today? Should I come get you? Do you need medical attention?

JBB: I’ll take that as a no then.

WB: You’re acting weird. I’ll see you at breakfast. If you wake up, ya know, being concussed and all. Night

Damnit! There goes that. When whoever this is meets their friend for breakfast they’re going to know they’ve been texting the wrong person. Guess I’m in for some pissed off messages tomorrow morning, Bucky thinks to himself and he stares at the last text. Oh well, one more message won’t hurt, right?

JBB: Well it was nice talkin to ya. Good luck with Hot Guy. Night

There was no response after that. He must have finally scared him away. It might have been fun if he could have kept it going for a few days but, come morning, the deception will be revealed.

He sighs, puts his phone on the nightstand and rolls over. After a couple hours of tossing and turning he finally falls asleep.

~~~~~~~

When he wakes the next morning he feels like he didn’t sleep at all. He feels like he lost a friend, which is insane. He talked to this guy for 10 minutes, has zero clue who he is or what he looks like. Maybe it’s just the fact that he had someone, that wasn’t Steve, to talk to. Trying his hand at talking to someone outside the Tower seemed like a good idea. If he ever wants to be able to go check out the city by himself, and not scare everyone with his murder stare, he needs to work on his people skills.

Bucky drags himself out of bed and takes a quick shower before heading down to the common area kitchen. Steve will already be there. Questions about the mystery texter will probably be forthcoming, Great just what I want to deal with first thing in the morning. As soon as he sees the smirk on Steve’s face when he reaches the kitchen he blurts out “There’s not enough coffee on the planet to deal with you in the morning, Rogers.”

“Oh come on, Buck. Out with it. What happened?”

“Nothing. Just drop it. Here comes Clint. I don’t need him chiming in.”

“Uuuuuuugh! Coffee. Now.” Clint groans as he makes his way to the coffee maker, He doesn’t even bother with a cup; he starts drinking right from the pot. How does this guy function on his own? He seriously needs a handler. Just as Bucky finishes that thought Natasha comes strolling in. Nevermind, there’s his handler now.

“Seriously, Barton? There are other people that live here. Can you try to not be so disgusting this early in the morning?” Nat scolds the acher like he’s her child. Not that he doesn’t act like one on a regular basis. It’s actually kind of adorable if Bucky were to think about it, which he tries not to, He has a hard time around people as it is. Attempting a relationship would only end in disaster. But he has to admit he’s caught himself checking out the archer’s biceps, a few times, when they’ve been training.

“Gimme a break, Nat. I had a weird night. No thanks to you.”

“Me, what did I do?” she asks. ”You’re the one that said you had something to get off your chest. When I didn’t hear from you I figured you changed your mind.”

“WHAT? I was texting you. You responded! What the hell are you talking about?” Clint is completely confused. How can Nat say he didn’t text her. If it wasn’t her that he was talking to, who the hell was it?

“Oh Barton, you simple creature. You broke your phone again, didn’t you?” she asks.

“Yeah, so what if I did? I know your number by heart. 201-555-669…” Clint starts but gets interrupted.

“Nine,” Bucky finishes. It all makes sense now. Arm, training, maniac, unhinged. He looks at Clint with a mixture of shock and hurt.

“Oh my god! NO!” Clint shouts and runs from the room as fast as he can.

Steve and Natasha look at each other then they both look at Bucky. Natasha is the first to ask the question that’s on both of their minds. “Okay, what the hell is going on right now? Please tell me that idiot didn’t text you thinking it was me.” She face palms and lets out a long sigh. “How bad is this, and do I need to contact the city morgue and let them know they should hold a spot?”

Bucky doesn’t respond right away. He looks up to the ceiling like he’s trying to summon the strength to deal with all of this. He takes deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I hoped you all would give me chance to prove I’m not the THING Hydra made me into. I know I haven’t made it easy but I didn’t realize I was still seen as an unhinged maniac.” He pushes himself back from the table and begins to get up. “I’m sorry. I need to get some air.”

“Buck, wait. Don’t go. No one thinks you’re an unhinged maniac. That’s just not the case.” Steve can’t believe anyone on the team would think that way about his friend.

“Yeah well, do you want to read the texts? Clint was very specific.” Bucky huffs as he throws his phone on the table. “The password is Hawkeye,” he says over his shoulder as he storms away.

Steve watches as Bucky leaves. He wants to call after him but thinks he should give him some space, along with the fact that he’s a little stunned by what he said on his way out. Nat seems just as shocked. She pretty much figured out that Clint had it bad for Bucky; but she had no idea that the feelings were mutual.

“Ummmm… I feel like I’m in some weird dream. Did that really just happen?” Steve asks.

“Yes, it happened. Yes, it’s weird. But…”, Nat thinks for a moment then continues. “...it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

“Excuse me? My best friend thinks he’s seen as an unhinged maniac. How is that NOT the worst thing in the world?”

“Not that part, Rogers,” Nat sighs. Dealing with these stupid boys can be exasperating to say the least. “The part where Clint and Bucky are into each other. I think they would make a perfect couple.” She pushes herself back from the table. “Now to fix this disaster before blood is spilled.”

“Hold on.” Steve grabs her arm. “You take Clint. I’ll go find Bucky. See if you can get him back down here. I’ll do the same. Maybe we can get them to talk this out.”

“Okay, text me,” she says, as she gets up from the table. “Make sure it’s the right number,” she adds with a smirk.

~~~~~~~~~

Clint ran to the roof. That’s where he goes to think, or sulk— in this case he’s doing both. He can’t believe how stupid he is. This might be the biggest mistake he’s ever made. Something as simple as a wrong number might have just cost him a friend. The worst part is, he didn’t mean what he said. He’d never intentionally hurt Bucky like that. The look of betrayal on his face when he realized it was Clint talking about him like that was soul crushing. Even though he wishes he could take it back, it’s not likely he’ll get that chance.

Just as he’s trying to decide if he should pack up and head back to Bed Stuy for a while, he hears the door to the roof open. ‘Great. Here comes Nat, like I need her to tell me what I already know.’  

“Look, I know. I’m an idiot. I could’ve had something incredible and I destroyed it before it even started.” Clint continues to ramble without turning around. “I didn’t mean what I said. Maybe if I wasn’t such a coward and told him how I felt, none of this would’ve ever happened. I don’t want him just because he’s beautiful to look at, he’s an amazing person with a good heart. I wish I could tell him how sorry I am.”

“You just did.”

Clint whirls around so fast he almost falls backward over the edge of the roof. Bucky rushes forward to grab him.

“Jesus Christ, Barton!” Bucky shouts, as he pulls the archer back from his impending doom. “You confess your feelings, apologize, and then try to jump off the roof before I can kiss you and tell you I accept your apology? What the hell are you trying to do to my heart!?”

“I didn’t try to jump off the roof. You scared the crap outta me. I thought you were Nat coming up here to tell me… wait… did you just say you wanted to kiss me?”

“Yes, and if you’d shut the hell up for 5 seconds, I’d do it.”

“I’m shutting up now.”

Bucky pulls him close. He stares into Clint’s eyes for a moment, before whispering his own confession.

“I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

It’s the most amazing kiss Clint has ever experienced. He feels like he’s going to pass out. The feeling of being in Bucky’s arms is more incredible than he could have ever imagined. They’re so caught up in each other they missed the door to the roof opening.

“OH HOLY SHIT!! MY EYES!!” Tony takes a step back while covering his eyes. “ROGERS!? ROMANOFF!? Come get your kids. They’re out of control!!” he yells. “Seriously, you both have your own FLOORS here. An entire floor, EACH. Pick one and for the love of all that’s holy, go there… now!” He turns on his heels to flee the sight in front of him and runs right into Steve and Natasha.

“Tony, what the hell? FRIDAY said you were screaming for us.”

Tony points at Bucky and Clint. “Get those two horny bastards off my roof. They’re scaring the pigeons.” he demands as he pushes past Steve.

“Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about getting them to kiss and make up, huh?” Nat quips.

“Nope, looks like they’ve got that covered.”

“We can hear you, ya know?” Bucky says as he glares at the pair. “Now go away. Clint isn’t done apologizing.”

Bucky turns his attention back to Clint “Now, I believe you mentioned something about licking?”

Clint’s eyes widen and he smirks, “So, would you prefer I start at the bottom, or the top?”

“Doesn't matter, as long as you linger in the middle,” he replies with a wink.

Beta: @caramell0w

[jestbee]

June 25: Ships that pass in the night (Chapter Five)